CBS News’ “60 Minutes” reportedly knew that a deported migrant featured in its latest broadcast had previously claimed to be gay in an asylum application, but left the explosive detail out of its report.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the New York Post that the network was informed of Moussa Diawara’s immigration history two weeks before Sunday’s segment aired.
Diawara, a married father of two, previously claimed he feared persecution in his native Mali because of his sexuality, according to an asylum application obtained by Fox News.
But the CBS program focused on a different explanation for his fears, reporting that Diawara had converted to Christianity and believed he could face religious persecution if returned to the Muslim-majority country.
The omission has drawn scrutiny from DHS officials, who have questioned the credibility of Diawara’s immigration claims.
The “60 Minutes” segment portrayed Diawara as a Texas father separated from his family after immigration authorities deported him to Ghana in July.
Diawara entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2001 and remained in the country after it expired. An immigration judge ruled in 2012 that he could be deported, but not to Mali because of concerns about potential persecution.
The ruling allowed him to remain in the United States with a work permit, although he remained subject to deportation to another country.
POLL: Should ABC Pull The Plug On “The View”?
Following Sunday’s broadcast, DHS General Counsel James Percival took to X to challenge the network’s reporting.
Percival said he reviewed Diawara’s immigration file and discovered that “his claimed reason for fearing Mali was that he is ‘gay,’ just in case you’re wondering how bad the immigration fraud problem is.”
The asylum application contained detailed statements about Diawara’s purported attraction to men.
“Although I was born as a boy, but things appeared differently for me as I was already having female behaviors and feelings,” Diawara wrote. “I was more comfortable being intimate with boys rather than with girls.”
WATCH WHAT @60Minutes DIDN’T SHOW YOU.
Here’s the FULL, uncut interview with @DHSGenCounsel James Percival. https://t.co/RSxxHBDTnF
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 27, 2026
He also claimed that “since I came to the USA I had the possibilities to express my feelings to men without any embarrassment [and] no reserve.”
DHS officials have pointed to the application while raising concerns about possible immigration fraud. The discrepancy has not, however, been established as proof that Diawara made false statements.
CBS acknowledged during its broadcast that DHS had questioned the credibility of Diawara’s fears of persecution, but did not disclose his earlier claims about his sexuality.
A “60 Minutes” insider subsequently defended the segment to Fox News, pointing out that the broadcast addressed Diawara’s religious concerns and the department’s questions about his credibility.
A representative for the program did not immediately respond to the New York Post’s request for comment Tuesday.
Diawara also alleged that Ghanaian authorities forced him onto a flight to Mali within days of his arrival, despite the earlier U.S. immigration ruling barring his removal to that country.
He subsequently fled Mali and is now living in an undisclosed African country, according to “60 Minutes.”
POLL: Muslim Migration Is At Lowest Levels In Decades … Do You Support This?
