Fact Check: Is the video showing a US immigration agent being run over real?

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Amid the backlash against President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, a claim has been going viral on social media platforms showing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent being run over by a car. The video has sparked speculations with many questioning its authenticity. Let us fact-check the clip.

Claim: ICE agent hit by a car in Chicago

The video shows a federal agent being sent flying by a driver who hit him on the streets of Chicago.

The video was first shared on X on February 6 by Brandon Straka, one of more than 1,500 people who were convicted in relation to the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack and later pardoned by Trump.

The post was accompanied by a caption saying, “Democrats are Trying to M*rder ICE Agents in Chicago…"

The video has garnered over forty thousand views as of this writing and continues to circulate on other platforms such as Threads and Instagram with similar claims.

Fact Check: False, the video is more than three years old

The claim, however, is false, as the video is more than three years old, showing armed carjackers ramming a stolen vehicle into an Illinois State Police trooper, and is unrelated to the Trump administration's actions.

A reverse image search for the video traces it to a Facebook clip from January 2023. According to the local news agencies that broadcast the footage, it showed an Illinois State Police trooper thrown from the hood of a stolen vehicle while attempting to stop the armed thieves.

According to the reports, the incident took place near the corner of 47th Street and Wentworth Avenue, and the location has been confirmed using Google Street View. 

Melaney Arnold, public information officer for the Illinois State Police, confirmed to AFP that the footage circulating online 'is from an ISP incident that occurred in 2023 and does not involve any immigration enforcement or federal officers.'

Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration crackdown

The fake claim surfaced at a time when there is a massive backlash against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdowns, which have led to two deaths in Minneapolis and thousands of arrests across the country. 

On Thursday, White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced the winding down of a major immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.

Homan called the operation a success and credited Trump’s leadership for what he described as historic progress on border security and interior enforcement.