If I had a dime for every time this administration attempted to lie its way out of accountability for its actions, I’d own a Tesla. The Texas Observer did some research into a July 18 vehicular accident in San Marcos involving a “cargo van” run by ICE, and a pickup truck. According to the report, an ICE contractor was transporting these women, separated from their children, back to a detention center near Austin to be reunited with their children when the accident occurred.

The Observer got its hands on a report with interviews from some of the passengers. While the van was apparently too damaged to continue being driven and some of the women “reported injuries,” ICE repeatedly denied that the accident ever took place.

“The crash was really strong, like maybe we were going to flip,” said Dilcia, a Honduran mom who requested that the Observer not publish her full name, out of fear of angering government officials. “We were all trembling with shock from the accident; my whole body hurt,” added another passenger, Roxana, who also did not want her full name published. The four women said they were not instructed to wear seat belts. In the accident report, a San Marcos Police Department officer assessed the damage to the van as a 4 on a 0-to-7 scale, and said the vehicle was towed. An ambulance was dispatched to the scene, but no one was taken to the hospital. (The mothers said they refused to go to the hospital because they feared it would delay or prevent them from being reunified with their children).

“Refused to go to the hospital,” because of “fear.” That’s how terrorism works.

The Observer, which had been tipped off to the accident, received nothing but denials for weeks after from ICE. These were not denials that the event wasn’t as bad as it sounds, but that it ever happened at all. When ICE was informed by the Observer that the jig was up as they had gotten their hands on the accident report, ICE suddenly remembered the incident—calling it a “fender bender.”

If they are willing to default to lying about an actual “accident,” can you believe a single thing they say?