Fact check: Did New Yorkers throw snowballs at ICE officers? Truth behind viral video

A widely circulated picture on societal media platforms purports to present in-migration and impost Enforcement (ICE) agents in New York being bombarded with snowballs by local residents.

Posts on platforms including TikTok, X, and Instagram suggest that the footage shows New Yorkers hurling snowballs at ICE officers as a reaction to the immigration policies of the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, musician Bill Madden also posted the video on Monday, asserting its claim. The clip rapidly gained popularity, garnering thousands of likes and shares.

“Whoa! Trump's ICE Nazis getting brutally pelted with snowballs by New Yorkers is f*****g epic,” he stated in a post on X.

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The viral video is from protests that took place in Russia in January 2021, as per Newsweek. Protesters against Vladimir Putin's government were seen hurling snowballs at riot police during events related to opposition leader Alexei Navalny's imprisonment.

The visual components, such as police uniforms and the surroundings, match scenes from Russian protests rather than US federal enforcement actions, according to independent verification done by Newsweek.

Moreover, posts claiming that it depicts New York or ICE have been marked with community notes on X. “This video shows protesters in Moscow, Russia, throwing snowballs at riot police during demonstrations on January 23, 2021, not ICE agents in New York,” the note states.

Reporting from The Guardian has documented instances of individuals throwing snowballs at federal agents during confrontations in cities like Minneapolis or Chicago, where bystanders responded to aggressive enforcement tactics. These incidents are not related to the viral clip that is circulating on X.

In the initial year of his second term, the Trump administration adopted a stringent, aggressive strategy for mass deportations, leading to an increase in immigration arrests and removals as various federal agencies, including ICE and Border Patrol, have endeavored to fulfill President Donald Trump's commitment to expel millions of migrants lacking legal status.

With arrests taking place in Washington Heights this week and other sightings in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, reports of federal agents appear to be increasing around the city.

The intensity of the raids in Chicago, which have involved the deployment of tear gas and agents descending from high-rise buildings into private dwellings, has not yet been matched by the level of ICE operations on the streets of New York City. However, activists in Chicago are serving as an inspiration to New Yorkers responding to these raids and getting ready for further demonstrations. In recent weeks, thousands of whistles have been distributed as a straightforward way for people to alert others to the presence of ICE when they witness it.

“It could be as easy as a noisemaker,” stated Whitney Hu, a community activist and organizer with South Brooklyn Mutual Aid, which distributed hundreds of whistles after discovering their application in Chicago.

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