A deported dad’s family said they missed him. ICE responded: ‘Fake & Gay!’

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is facing criticism over its homophobic response to a news story about a man deported to Mali, The Independent reports.

On Monday, Fox News correspondent Brooke Taylor posted a report about Moussa Diawara, whose story was featured on 60 Minutes on Sunday. Diawara was deported to Mali this summer.

“60 Minutes featured a deported Malian national whose wife and two children spoke about how much they miss him and want him home,” wrote Taylor in her post on X. “But we exclusively obtained Moussa Diawara’s asylum application, where he said he was seeking asylum in the U.S. because he was gay and feared being killed if sent back.”

Shortly afterward, ICE’s official X account reshared Taylor’s post and commented: “Fake & Gay!” It also stated that Diawara “now faces allegations of immigration FRAUD after his asylum application surfaced, revealing that he claimed to be a HOMOSEXUAL man who feared persecution in Mali.”

The post had amassed more than 5.4 million views at the time of publication and drew thousands of comments, including sharp criticism of the agency.

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One commenter wrote, “What a disgustingly vile excuse for govt communication,” while another asked, “Did an official US government account really just post this?”

“The US is addicted to hitting a new low every day it seems,” wrote another X user.

According to the 60 Minutes report, Diawara, now 57, entered the U.S. on a tourist visa 25 years ago and later applied for asylum after the visa expired. He said he had converted to Christianity while living in the U.S. and feared persecution in predominantly Muslim Mali.

This summer, Diawara was detained and spent three weeks in an ICE detention center in Texas. In the 60 Minutes broadcast, he said he had not been allowed to speak with his wife or attorney while in detention. According to the report, he was deported to Ghana on July 31 and then transported to Mali a few days later.

Critics also faulted ICE and Taylor for publicizing Diawara’s asylum claim. Taylor’s post included his asylum application, which ICE then reshared.

Some commenters cited ICE’s post as another reason to abolish the agency. A recent YouGov survey found that 46 percent of Americans supported eliminating ICE, while 41 percent were opposed.

“And people wonder why Abolish ICE went from a fringe position to polling relatively well,” one X user wrote.

“You’re bloodthirsty monsters trying to get this man killed by outing him and pretending not to know gay people get married to opposite-sex partners and have kids,” another commenter wrote in response to ICE’s post.

Other commenters praised the agency’s response. “ICE’s response is why I love this platform,” one X user commented, and another wrote, “I voted for this.”

In a statement to The Independent, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson described Diawara as an immigrant in the country illegally who had a “final order of removal from a judge.”

“Diawara, who is married to a woman he shares two children with, oddly claimed he would be persecuted for homosexuality if returned home to Mali, and requested a withholding of removal from his home country,” the spokesperson added. “On July 30, he was removed from the United States to a country that provided diplomatic assurances for his safety.”