Oakland County Disputes 'Fox & Friends' Report It's Providing Aid To Illegal Immigrants

PONTIAC, Mich. (WWJ) - Oakland County officials are disputing a report regarding illegal immigration that aired on the early morning Fox News Channel program Fox & Friends First.

According to a news release from the county, Fox & Friends reported Tuesday that Oakland County, Michigan is one of 11 cities and counties that will provide free legal aid to illegal immigrants facing deportation.

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson says this is not true, and that the county is not providing any kind of free legal representation to illegal immigrants. The source of the story, Mother Jones magazine, lists Oakland/Alameda County in California, not Oakland County, Michigan.

"The report on Fox & Friends First couldn't be further from the truth," Patterson said. "Their egregious reporting error has caused angry residents to call my office today. We have contacted a Fox & Friends producer to correct the story."

Oakland County spokesman Bill Mullan said he didn't see the story when it aired, but he certainly heard about it.

"We've had a couple dozen (complaint calls," Mullan told WWJ's Sandra McNeill. "I mean, it's not over the top but, you know, enough to alert us that this false information made it out there and enough to let us know that...What do they say in the new business? If you hear one complain there's probably ten people who haven't called you."

It was not immediately clear if or when Fox & Friends would issue a correction. Mullan said, just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, he was still waiting on a call back.