Fact Check: Is the viral video of ICE agents deporting Pizza Hut employees real?
WASHINGTON, DC: A claim has been circulating on social media alleging that the ICE agents arrested and deported Pizza Hut employees, with a viral video showing what appeared to be the detention outside the store.
The video quickly spread on various social media platforms, prompting alarm and debate about the operations of immigration enforcement. Let us fact-check the claim behind it.
Claim: ICE agents detained Pizza Hut employees
According to the video, which was posted by a Facebook page, USA Journey 897, on November 9, ICE agents were seen leading detained employees out the pizza chain's front door. As of now, the video has gained 40 million views.
In the video, a man can be heard saying, "Let's go! Keep moving! Hands behind your back!" A woman answered, "I didn't do anything, man." A second man then said, "Step out. Stay with me, ma'am. This way."
The first man then shouted, "Hey, back inside! Hands up!" A third man added, "Keep moving. Watch your step. Watch the puddle." Other voices also could be heard.
A reverse-image search of the clip's first frame revealed that users were sharing the same video on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and X.
Fact-check: The video is AI-generated
The video, however, turns out to be fake, generated using Artificial Intelligence. The media outlet Snopes has contacted the USA Journey 897 Facebook page's owner to ask for information about the AI tool they use to create their fake videos, and why they create so many inauthentic clips about arrests and deportations.
Also, whether someone is paying them to make the content, but they haven't received any updates so far.
One clear sign that the video was AI-generated, as noted by many viewers, was when the store employee spoke the lines that an ICE agent should have said, "Step out. Stay with me, ma'am. This way."
Also, the first man to speak contradicts his own instructions by first saying, "Hands behind your back!" then seconds later, "Hands up!" Further, an ICE agent, partially visible behind the agent in the background at the beginning of the clip, disappears by the end of the video.
Disclaimer added to the video later
The user managing the Facebook page, who, according to the "page transparency" tab, resides in the US, after noticing its view count skyrocketing, edited their original post on Nov 11 to add a disclaimer reading, "Disclaimer: This video is created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for entertainment and creative purposes only.
The characters, voices, and scenes shown are not real and do not represent actual people or events." A similar disclaimer appeared under the page's "intro" section.
The USA Journey 897 Facebook page, and its affiliated @usa life897 Instagram account, also featured many other AI-generated videos showing arrests and deportations, including additional clips featuring Pizza Hut employees.
