Fact check: Will ICE now detain animals that are not native to the US?

WASHINGTON, DC: Since Donald Trump took office for his second run as the President, the administration has significantly escalated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations as part of a promised mass deportation campaign.

The ICE has conducted widespread raids, arrests, and detentions, targeting undocumented immigrants but also leading to collateral impacts on US citizens, communities, and industries.

Recently, a rumor circulated on social media claiming that ICE will now detain animals that are not native to the US. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: ICE will detain animals that are not native to the US

In mid-February 2026, X account @HoopsCrave came up with a post claiming, "ICE will now detain animals that are not native to the US."

The post had more than 280,000 views, and more than 5,000 users reacted to the viral post.

The Trump administration's focus has shifted from primarily criminal transfers to 'at-large' or 'street arrests' in communities, worksites, and public spaces, with less emphasis on criminal records.

Moreover, ICE raids often involve plainclothes agents in unmarked vehicles, sometimes without warrants, which leads to controversies, including mistaken arrests of citizens and fatal incidents. 

Meanwhile, the agency launched coordinated operations in cities such as Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Miami, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., where they detained 538 individuals. 

Furthermore, agents raided schools, hospitals, and places of worship after reversing prior 'sensitive locations' policies. The incidents included arrests of US citizens, such as a veteran in Newark.

Fact Check: False, the  post originated as a satire

The claim made in the viral post is false, as the post is pure satire from a self-described parody account, @HoopsCrave.

Searches across news outlets, government sites, and recent reports show no mentions of ICE detaining, deporting, or targeting animals. The claim appears only in reposts of this post or similar parody content. 

Moreover, ICE enforces immigration and customs laws for people, not wildlife, and handling non-native animal species falls under agencies like the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), US Fish and Wildlife Service, or state wildlife departments. ICE has nothing to do with it.

The satirical post went viral as there are ongoing ICE raids and mass-deportation operations in Trump's second term. The replies under the X post are all humorous, confirming it's understood as satire.

Furthermore, no credible news organization, DHS, or ICE statement has referenced anything as such. Its engagement-bait humor is playing on ongoing events.