Old prank video misrepresented as migrant defecating in public | Fact check
The claim: Video shows migrant defecating in subway under Biden administration
A Feb. 27 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows what appears to be a man defecating into a trash can while squatting on top of it in a subway station.
"Welcome to the new America," reads on-screen text.
The post's caption reads, "Illegal immigration…. And all you democrats voted for it." It includes the hashtags #biden and #kamala.
The post was liked more than 300 times in a week.
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Our rating: False
The post misrepresents both the timing and content of the video. It shows a stunt staged by a popular content creator from New York City, not a candid moment of a person who came to the country illegally. The video was originally posted in 2019, before President Joe Biden was elected.
Content creator posted original video in 2019
The video in the Instagram post predates Biden's election in 2020. It was originally posted in August 2019 by Prince Zee, a provocative content creator whose other popular videos include “Beating a Baby in Public,” “Lighting a Baby on Fire” and “Pooping in an Adult Diaper around NYC."
The video also doesn't show a candid moment of a person living in the country illegally. It shows Prince Zee, identified in news reports as Zeeshan Saroya, recreating a scene he said he viewed while traveling abroad.
"I decided to take that same concept ... and apply it to the New York City environment and test out the people reactions," the caption on the original video reads.
Fact check: San Francisco Elections Commission member is not 'illegal immigrant'
In a 2019 podcast appearance, he said he was born and raised in Queens, New York City.
Prince Zee has amassed a significant following on social media. He has over 6 million followers on TikTok, 1 million subscribers on YouTube and 300,000 followers on Instagram.
USA TODAY has debunked multiple claims involving the supposed immigration status of individuals, including claims that a 44-year-old migrant was a suspect in the Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting and that an "illegal immigrant" was appointed to San Francisco's elections board.
The Instagram user who shared the video did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An attempt to reach Prince Zee for comment was also not immediately successful.
Our fact-check sources:
Prince Zee, Aug. 22, 2019, Instagram post
Prince Zee, accessed March 5, X account
ItsYaBoyMike (YouTube), Aug. 9, 2019, PRINCE ZEE | MADE IN NEW YORK PODCAST
ABC 7 New York, Jan. 29, 2021, YouTuber arrested, accused of faking Times Square medical incident
Inside Edition, Oct. 9, 2021, New York Man Scratches, and Spits at Passengers While Trying to Exit Moving Bus Through a Window
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim video shows migrant defecating in NYC subway | Fact check
