Viral images of Border Patrol putting alligators in the Rio Grande are fake

The Rio Grande serves as a natural barrier for the entire length of the Texas-Mexico border. That means anyone who wishes to cross the border into Texas without going through a port of entry will have to cross the river, too.

A pair of images shared in TikTok videos in late February claim to show members of U.S. Border Patrol putting alligators, which were shipped by train from Florida, into the Rio Grande as a way to deter migrants. These images have spread to other social media sites since they were first posted.

VERIFY readers Edward and Teresa emailed and texted us to ask if Border Patrol really put alligators or crocodiles in the Rio Grande, like these images claim.

THE QUESTION

Are these viral images of Border Patrol putting alligators in the Rio Grande real?

THE SOURCES

• Independent analysis of the images for AI generation

• Texas Military Department

• Texas Parks & Wildlife

• Smithsonian’s National Zoo

THE ANSWER

No, the viral images of Border Patrol putting alligators in the Rio Grande are not real. They were generated with AI.

WHAT WE FOUND

Alligators are native to a part of the Rio Grande. However, there is no evidence U.S. Border Patrol put alligators or crocodiles in the river; the viral images were created with artificial intelligence (AI).

VERIFY was able to determine that the images were generated with AI by zooming in and identifying warped details that wouldn’t appear in real photos.

In the image of alligators on a boat, the Border Patrol agents have no discernible facial features. Several agents have limbs fused with the vests they are wearing. The logo at the back of the boat belongs to no real company, agency or organization, and it’s entirely unclear what the logo is even depicting. Two of the alligators are missing eyes, and one’s face is warped.

In the image of the alligators strapped to the train, one of the uniformed people is missing a foot. At least one alligator appears to have an extra pair of legs. All of the alligators besides the one in the front have warped facial features and some of them lack eyes entirely. The text on the side of the train car is gibberish and doesn’t use real letters. The texture of the foreground also appears fabricated.

These errors are telltale signs these photos were created with AI. 

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Texas Parks & Wildlife and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo say the American alligator can be found in the U.S. from North Carolina to the Rio Grande. A map from Texas Parks & Wildlife shows that alligators of the Rio Grande appear in the greatest density near where the Rio Grande meets Texas’ coastline, on the eastern edge of the Mexico border near South Padre Island. 

Stock images available on Getty Images and Alamy show alligators in the Rio Grande Valley, which is the area around the river nearest to the coast.

Regardless of the fake images, there is no evidence that the U.S. Border Patrol or the Texas National Guard dumped alligators in the Rio Grande. Neither have made an announcement about dumping alligators into the river, and there are no real videos or photos of either agency doing so.

The Texas Military Department frequently posts photo updates of border security projects to its X account. The Texas Military Department has never posted a photo or an announcement that it is dumping alligators into the Rio Grande.

In May 2023, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted a video to X with the caption, “The Texas National Guard took this picture in the Rio Grande river near Eagle Pass.” The video shows an alligator popping its head out of the water, but does not show anyone putting the alligator into the water.

It wouldn’t be the first time people online have falsely claimed that the government is importing alligators to the Rio Grande to help with border security. A 2021 Snopes story debunked posts claiming Louisiana sent 2,000 alligators to the Texas border.

VERIFY reached out to Border Patrol for comment.

This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español: Imágenes virales de la Patrulla Fronteriza colocando caimanes en el Río Grande son falsas