Fact Check: Has dissolved Black Panther Party revived to take part in Minnesota ICE protests?

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: In early 2026, a rumor circulated online claiming that Black Panther Party had been revived and its members were participating in anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis.

The rumor surfaced as protests erupted in response to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) crackdown in Minnesota. But is there any truth to this claim? Let us find out below.

Claim: Black Panther Party revived to take part in Minnesota ICE protests

As the DHS launched immigration raids in Minnesota earlier this year, images alleged to show members of the historic Black Panther Party, a revolutionary Black Power group founded in California in 1966, went viral across social media. 

Some social media users also claimed that members of the group were involved in protests against the federal government's actions, despite the original group disbanded as an official organization in 1982.

A Facebook user shared an image of a group of armed men and wrote, "The Black Panther Party has taken to the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, to protest the MAGA administration's immigration policies and to protect the immigrant community."

"African Americans that has fought against injustices in America for decades! A million Americans may have to go to Minneapolis to defend the Constitution," the caption further read.

The same image was further shared by other Facebook users.

Fact check: False, the image shared was created using AI

The claims made in the social media posts are false, as the information provided in the social media posts was inaccurate.

Some of the viral images had misleading captions, some misrepresented the location, while others showed people who belonged to offshoot groups, not the official Black Panther Party.

Similarly, other images shared on social media were either doctored using artificial intelligence or were misleadingly labeled. A viral image of a group of armed men did not authentically depict members of the Black Panther Party protesting in 2026.

A Facebook page named El abuelo, which shared one of the viral images, has featured dozens of AI-generated images.

Another image depicting a group of people wearing black berets, which appears to be a Black Panther emblem spread on multiple platforms in January 2026.

However, it seems like it first appeared online in June 2020. At the time, news media outlets such as the Daily Mail ran headlines claiming the image showed "armed Black Panthers".

Three of the images that circulated during the Minnesota DHS raids show an offshoot group of the original Black Panthers making a public appearance in January 2026 in Philadelphia.