Fact Check: Is the viral video of ICE agent accompanying handcuffed detainee to washroom real?

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINNESOTA: A short clip showing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent walking into a portable toilet with a handcuffed detainee has been widely shared on social media and sparked strong reactions online. Many questioned what went on behind closed doors and raised concerns about the conduct of the officers. Let us fact-check the context of the video.

Claim: ICE agent accompanies detained woman to toilet

The video showed an agent and a detainee near a portable toilet in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.

Many social media users claimed that the detained person is a woman. They criticized the officer’s actions, with questions raised over what occurred behind the closed door, with the possibility of a sexual assault.

Some users alleged inappropriate behaviors and questioned why the agent followed her to the porta-potty, while others pointed out that the video’s content is too brief to determine exactly what happened after the door was closed.

“If this video is real, and that ICE agent made her perform a sexual favor that’s called sex trafficking and it’s a felony. This needs to be investigated,” a user wrote on X in response to the video.

Fact Check: The detainee in the video is a man

In response, the DHS asserted that the person in the footage was not a woman but a man who needed to use the restroom. The department said it does not deny people in custody the right to use a toilet.

“The illegal alien in this video was a male and had to use restroom,” a DHS spokesperson said. “We don’t deny people the right to use the bathroom.”

The DHS explained that the standard policy in such situations is to never allow a subject alone in an enclosed space because someone under arrest 'could barricade themselves in.' 

This guidance was reiterated by DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who said the policy is longstanding and applies to all detainees.

ICE operation escalates into a deadly encounter

The clip emerges at a time when the ICE and its tactics are facing heightened scrutiny nationwide, especially after the violent episode in Minnesota, where a woman was shot by an ICE agent.

The shooting occurred on January 7, amid a federal immigration enforcement surge targeting the Twin Cities area.

The operation involved a significant deployment of federal agents across Minneapolis and St Paul, marking one of the most aggressive crackdowns in the region in recent years.

Video footage of the incident quickly spread online, drawing scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security’s account. 

As investigations and public debate continue, officials have urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified or manipulated information, noting that such content can exacerbate tensions and distort understanding of ongoing cases.