A post circulating on social media earlier this week claimed federal agents would set up roadblocks on major Portland-area freeways the week of Thanksgiving in what would be an unprecedented immigration dragnet.

The post warned community members to “stay off the highways” because authorities would be checking the identities of occupants in every car during busy holiday travel.

But there’s no evidence it’s true. A Portland-area lawmaker and other local authorities quickly set out to debunk it.

The rumor was just the latest in a string of false and unverified claims that have spread online in recent weeks amid a sharp increase in immigration enforcement in Oregon, further stoking the fears of a community already on edge over a wave of real immigration arrests.

Since October, armed and

See Full Page