U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fired back at CBS News over its reporting on Malian national Moussa Diawara, using the blunt phrase “Fake & Gay!” to criticize what the agency described as a poorly researched report. ICE highlighted allegations that Diawara claimed to be homosexual and feared persecution in Mali as part of his asylum case, a detail the agency said was missing from the coverage.

The agency’s post on X brought renewed attention to the dispute over Diawara’s immigration history and the circumstances surrounding his deportation. ICE and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have challenged the account presented by CBS, arguing that the public deserves a fuller picture of the claims made in his immigration proceedings.

Diawara, a Malian national, entered the United States on a tourist visa approximately 25 years ago and overstayed. He later sought protection from removal to Mali. In 2012, an immigration judge ruled that he could be deported from the United States but could not be returned to Mali because of the risk of persecution. The decision allowed him to obtain a work permit.

CBS’s 60 Minutes report focused on Diawara’s deportation to Ghana in July and his claim that Ghanaian officials subsequently sent him to Mali, despite the earlier immigration ruling. Diawara told the program that he feared persecution in Mali after converting to Christianity and pointed to security threats associated with the country’s Islamist insurgency.

DHS General Counsel James Percival said a review of Diawara’s immigration file revealed that his stated fear of returning to Mali also included a claim that he was homosexual. Federal officials criticized CBS for not including that information in its report, arguing that the omission left viewers without important context about the case.

Diawara is married to a woman and has two U.S.-citizen children, details that DHS also highlighted in its response. Those circumstances do not, on their own, establish whether his claim was truthful or fraudulent. No finding of immigration fraud is established by the information made public in the dispute.

The CBS report said U.S. authorities deported Diawara to Ghana on July 31. He claimed Ghanaian officials then sent him to Mali within days, leaving him without money or identification and forcing him to seek assistance to leave the country. DHS disputed aspects of his account and said Ghana had provided diplomatic assurances regarding his safety.

The controversy has put the spotlight on the information news organizations include when reporting on immigration cases and the claims applicants make to obtain protection from deportation. ICE’s criticism reflects the agency’s position that CBS failed to provide relevant details about Diawara’s asylum history. The underlying allegations remain distinct from a formal finding that he committed immigration fraud.