Paul LePage says relative faces deportation due to country of origin
The Republican congressional candidate claims his son's father-in-law is being deported despite having a valid work permit.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Paul LePage says relative faces deportation due to country of origin
Photograph: HuffPost (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Paul LePage, running for Maine's 2nd Congressional District, said his son's father-in-law is being deported.
- LePage stated the man holds a valid work permit and is being deported because of his country of origin.
- Donald Trump endorsed LePage for Congress and posted supportive messages on Truth Social.
- Recent polling shows LePage in a tight race with Democrat Matthew Dunlap for the seat vacated by incumbent Jared Golden.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 11 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
30/100
11 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 11 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Republican Paul LePage, a candidate for Maine's 2nd Congressional District, has stated that his son's father-in-law is facing deportation. LePage said the man is in the United States legally and possesses a valid work permit. He claimed the deportation is occurring because the man comes from a country that is not favoured by certain individuals in Washington.
Donald Trump has endorsed LePage for Congress, posting supportive messages on the social media platform Truth Social. LePage is running for the seat currently held by incumbent Democrat Jared Golden, who has announced he will not seek reelection. Recent polling data indicates LePage is in a close contest with Democrat Matthew Dunlap.
LePage's stance on immigration
Despite his personal situation, LePage has previously made disparaging remarks about immigrants. When asked about data showing many targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have no criminal record, LePage stated that if individuals are not in the country legally, they have broken the law and ICE has a job to do.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated outlet ran this story. The reports below do not mention any specific details about the father-in-law's country of origin, nor do they provide information on the specific legal basis for the deportation proceedings beyond LePage's claims.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 24 Sept 2026, 04:45, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
9 rated outlets
- Nine left-rated reports highlighted Paul LePage's statement about his relative's deportation. These reports frequently mentioned that the individual holds a valid work permit and is allegedly being deported due to his country of origin. Several also noted LePage's past anti-immigrant rhetoric, contrasting it with his current situation. Donald Trump's endorsement of LePage was also a recurring point. Headlines included phrases such as 'Trump-Endorsed Candidate Says Family Member Is Now Facing Deportation' (HuffPost) and 'MAGA Racist US House Nominee Paul LePage Is Ever So Angry That ICE Is Deporting Member Of His Family' (Joe.My.God.).
Centre
2 rated outlets
- Two centre-rated reports focused on Paul LePage's claim that his relative is being deported and that the situation is 'not right'. These reports mentioned that the relative holds a valid work permit and is being deported because of his country of origin. The reports also noted LePage is running for Congress to succeed outgoing Representative Jared Golden. Headlines included 'Paul LePage says ICE is deporting his relative' (The Hill) and 'Paul LePage Says Family Member Shouldn’t Be Deported' (Political Wire).
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Paul LePage says relative faces deportation due to country of origin?
- Of the 11 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 82% are rated left, 18% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Paul LePage says relative faces deportation due to country of origin left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 11 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Paul LePage says relative faces deportation due to country of origin biased?
- Paul LePage says relative faces deportation due to country of origin is one event reported by 11 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Paul LePage says relative faces deportation due to country of origin?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Paul LePage says relative faces deportation due to country of origin?
- 11 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is Paul LePage claiming about his relative?
- Paul LePage, a Republican candidate for Maine's 2nd Congressional District, stated that his son's father-in-law is facing deportation. LePage claims the man is being targeted because he comes from a country disliked by certain people in Washington, despite holding a valid work permit.
- Who has endorsed Paul LePage?
- Donald Trump has endorsed Paul LePage for Congress. Trump posted supportive messages on Truth Social, calling LePage an 'America First Fighter' and a 'WINNER' with his 'Complete and Total Endorsement'.
- What is the political context of Paul LePage's campaign?
- Paul LePage is running for Maine's 2nd Congressional District seat, which is being vacated by incumbent Democrat Jared Golden. Recent polling data indicates LePage is in a tight race with Democrat Matthew Dunlap for this position.
Read it at the source
11 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
9- Trump-Endorsed Candidate Says Family Member Is Now Facing Deportation (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
- Republican backing Trump immigration crackdown asks for relative to avoid deportation (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Republican backing Trump immigration crackdown asks for relative to avoid deportation (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Republican Congressional Candidate Says Relative Is Being Wrongfully Deported (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
- MAGA Racist US House Nominee Paul LePage Is Ever So Angry That ICE Is Deporting Member Of His Family (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Maine Republican backs immigration crackdown, says family member shouldn’t be deported (opens The Washington Post in a new tab)
The Washington Post — is The Washington Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- MAGA candidate fumes after his relative deported: 'That's not right' (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- ICE Crackdown Hits Home for Republican Paul LePage: Former Maine Governor Says Family Member With Work Permit Faces Deportation (opens Latin Times in a new tab)
Latin Times — is Latin Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
2Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
