ICE TV Is Everywhere

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flashing red and blue lights on a large tactical vehicle, officers in helmets and gear marching forward, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem standing nearby wearing a tactical vest labeled “Police ICE,” her arm casually resting over the hood of an SUV.

For several weeks now, the Instagram and X accounts affiliated with ICE and DHS have been consistently sharing similar videos. As one watches these videos, the details tend to merge: the scenes of vehicles, masked agents, flashing lights, and individuals with their hands tied behind their backs. In January, Dr. Phil joined ICE on a series of raids in Chicago; he followed this up in June by hosting an hour-long special featuring former acting ICE director Tom Homan. In April, Chaya Raichik, who manages X’s LibsofTikTok account, also accompanied ICE on a ride-along, claiming that the suspected drug trafficker being targeted was one of the people “Democrats want to keep in our country.” The tone of these videos ranges from highly edited and militaristic, featuring guns and American exceptionalism rhetoric, to meme-like and humorous, incorporating music like Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” or the COPS theme song. Collectively, they serve as a real-time chronicle of the early stages of the second Trump administration, crafted to align with the president’s image of America.

In the past few weeks, as news about fast-paced, high-profile, and allegedly inhumane immigration arrests has spread nationwide, videos from ICE have been popping up alongside other video types, often shot by neighbors, passersby, and security cameras. These clips show the same incidents as those in the ICE videos, and they’ve become so frequent that just a thumbnail can identify the content, whether it’s a video of an unidentified immigrant or Brad Lander – a brightly lit courtroom corridor, a parking lot filled with law enforcement vehicles. Switching between the media from ICE and footage captured by regular people feels like watching a live contest of narratives, a struggle over whether the narrative of mass deportations is one of joy or indignation.

In most cases, videos released by ICE avoid showing direct confrontations. The footage often begins when officers arrive on scene and then transitions to them escorting individuals into vehicles. However, frequently the recording starts after agents have already gained physical control over the person or skips the part where they need to grab the individual by the arms or subdue them to the ground. Agents’ faces are concealed, either by masks or digital blurring, and the shots are often framed in such a way that only torsos can be seen, making both agents and their targets into faceless, efficient figures moving through space. A video posted on June 14 on the official ICE X account from an El Monte raid shows agents arresting a man from what seems to be an apartment building; by the time the video begins, he’s already been removed from his home and is being held by agents. The two quick cuts in the entire 27-second clip give the impression that the footage accurately captures the entire arrest. This editing creates a stark and unyielding image of ICE agents who perform immigration raids – they are highly competent, tireless, and impartial, removing potential threats from the United States of America.

During a recent raid at Glenn Valley Foods by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), two contrasting stories unfolded on camera. A video shared on the DHS X feed captures ICE agents detaining numerous workers from the plant’s meat-processing and -packing department. A brief shot shows a young man sitting on a curb with his hands tied, giving a defiant middle finger to the camera, suggesting that all those detained are merely rough characters. However, the footage then transitions to people exiting the facility in an orderly fashion. An officer is heard saying “gracias” before securing zip ties around a quiet, submissive woman.

In stark contrast, my perspective begins prior to the moment ICE agents initiated detentions within our company’s lunch room at Glenn Valley Foods. I found myself among colleagues who were both terrified and enraged, as they questioned the actions of the agents. A woman inquired, “Why are you handcuffing him?” followed by another asking, “What did he do?” A man responded, “He wasn’t cooperating.” This exchange was met with confusion, as the woman asked, “He’s not cooperating?” The man replied, seemingly unyielding, “He’s there. Still. So why are you doing this?”

Comforting a distraught colleague, I patted her back while the camera whirled around the room, attempting to document the unfolding chaos: numerous individuals on their phones making calls or sending messages, their expressions somber. The lunch-room wall bore a sign that read “Together We Achieve More.” This scene served as a poignant reminder of our unity in the face of adversity.

The most recognized videos showing immigration enforcement actions come from a clip of ICE officers apprehending Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk in March, which depicts the sequence of ICE agents approaching Öztürk, then grabbing her arms and restraining them behind her back while she screams in fear. In another widely shared video from Worcester, Massachusetts, numerous neighbors demonstrate and shout as agents try to detain a woman, forcibly bringing her and her teenage daughter to the ground. One view captured by a police body camera and later given to CNN shows the woman lying spread-eagle on the hood of an SUV with a baby’s bottle in her hand. While ICE’s social media feeds focus on mugshots of male immigrants and videos of men in handcuffs, videos from bystanders and local news outlets across the country demonstrate that women have also been apprehended. “I don’t want to die in Honduras,” one woman is heard crying in a video from late May.

Despite the widespread availability of bystander videos, it’s almost astonishing that ICE still produces its own. The Trump administration appears so confident that ICE raids are beneficial and that Americans want them, that their primary motivation seems to be demonstrating beyond doubt that they are indeed carrying out these operations. In just one week, between June 10 and June 17, ICE posted no less than 26 Instagram Reels, and their social media feeds continue to flood with content. This urge to share has been so strong that sometimes even the ICE or White House account will repost content that looks like it was taken by an observer – men running as agents bring them down to the ground. They take great pride in sharing this footage; there’s little need to alter it to make a stronger case.

In contrast to videos released by ICE, bystander videos consistently show strong emotions such as anger and contempt from the cameraperson or onlookers. For instance, in one video from an Omaha Glen Valley raid, an individual expresses disapproval saying, “Here’s my bag of fucks.” These videos often capture scenes from people who happened to witness ICE activities in their neighborhoods or while driving by. They don’t provide extensive details about the events that occurred, but they are still shared due to their emotional impact. The footage shows feelings such as frustration, disagreement, fear, and chaos. Sometimes, these videos are surprisingly poignant in their simplicity. One video that stands out doesn’t even depict a detention; instead, it offers a view from a roofer working on a half-finished roof in Lafayette, Louisiana. The roofer and his crew can be seen sitting atop the building, while below, immigration agents wait for them to descend. In a subsequent video, the man returns to confirm that he and his team are safe and that the roof they were working on is now completed. The house in question has a ‘for sale’ sign out front, adding to the sense of unease and discomfort. “Thank you to those who expressed concern for us,” the man says.

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2025-06-20 17:54