Fact Check: Did New Yorkers pelt ICE agents with snowballs to show they were not welcome?

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A viral clip making the rounds online claims to show fed-up New Yorkers unloading a flurry of snowballs on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. 

But is the footage genuine and properly attributed? Let's find out.

Origin of the claim

The footage spread fast. One Instagram user shared the video with overlaid text declaring, “New Yorkers pelt ICE agents with Snow Balls.” The caption added, “New Yorkers letting ICE agents know that they are not welcomed in New York.”

The same clip ricocheted across Bluesky, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, X, and YouTube, often paired with similar claims that the confrontation unfolded on New York City streets. 

On Facebook, one user reportedly labeled the people throwing snowballs as “far left protesters” demonstrating against President Donald Trump and his administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

Taken at face value, the video appeared to show bundled-up civilians hurling snowballs at uniformed officers while bystanders looked on.

Fact Check: False

In a nutshell, the video does not show New Yorkers attacking ICE agents.

It actually shows supporters of Russian anti-Kremlin activist Alexei Navalny throwing snowballs at police officers during a protest in Moscow in 2021. Navalny died in prison in February 2024.

The original footage dates back to January 23, 2021, when The Guardian published it on YouTube with the title, “Russia protests: police pelted with snowballs in Moscow.”

“Tens of thousands of Alexei Navalny supporters have protested across Russia in one of the largest demonstrations against Vladimir Putin's rule in the past decade," the description read.

There were no signs the latest clip was generated using artificial intelligence software.

The Guardian credited Russia’s independent news outlet Mediazona as the source. Mediazona also posted the video on X on January 23, 2021, with a caption translated from Russian using DeepL that read, “Police officers were pelted with snowballs near the circus on Trubnaya Street, and they clearly lost their composure.”

At the end of the video, a man could be heard saying inaudible words in a Russian-sounding accent. That didn’t quite match the supposed New York City setting. What's more? Using Google Maps, the footage was geolocated to Tsvetnoy Boulevard near Trubnaya Square in Moscow.

Mediazona tracked the Navalny protests throughout the day in a live blog. The outlet reported at 5:16 p.m. local time, “Security forces began arresting protesters at Trubnaya Square, using batons, a Mediazona correspondent reports. The crowd responded with a hail of snowballs and pushed a group of riot police away from the memorial pillar.” 

Intense scrutiny on aggressive ICE operations

ICE agents have faced increased scrutiny in recent months over aggressive raid tactics during large-scale enforcement operations, particularly in major cities and workplaces. These raids often involved multiple agencies and resulted in detentions of individuals without criminal convictions beyond immigration violations.

ICE data showed that more than 75% of people booked into custody from October 2024 through May 2025 had no criminal conviction other than immigration or traffic-related offenses. The trend persisted into late last year, with 73.6% of detainees (48,377 out of 65,735 as of November 30) having no criminal convictions but being in the country illegally.

The raids sparked widespread backlash, including protests that escalated into clashes and prompted deployments of National Guard troops in Los Angeles in June after riots followed the arrests of at least 45 people, marking the first major city deployment of such forces last year.

White House border czar Tom Homan has acknowledged plans for “more enforcement actions at workplaces” in 2026, backed by $170 billion in additional funding through 2029. He predicted arrests would “explode” as recruitment expands.