Fact Check: Viral Video of “ICE Agents” Hit with Snowballs Reveals Russian Origins

A viral video widely circulated across social media platforms falsely claiming to show Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents being pelted with snowballs by New York residents has been debunked as footage from Russian protests that occurred in January 2021.

The misleading clip, which gained significant traction after being shared on TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram, was presented as evidence of New Yorkers protesting immigration enforcement tactics linked to the Trump administration. Musician Bill Madden further amplified the false narrative on Monday when he shared the video with the caption: “Whoa! Trump’s ICE Nazis getting brutally pelted with snowballs by New Yorkers is f*****g epic.” The post quickly accumulated thousands of likes and shares.

Newsweek’s fact-checking team has confirmed the footage actually shows anti-government protesters in Moscow throwing snowballs at Russian riot police during demonstrations related to the imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Visual elements in the video, including the distinctive police uniforms and environmental setting, clearly match documented scenes from the Russian protests rather than any U.S. law enforcement operation.

Users on X have added community notes to posts sharing the misleading content, explicitly stating: “This video shows protesters in Moscow, Russia, throwing snowballs at riot police during demonstrations on January 23, 2021, not ICE agents in New York.”

While The Guardian has previously reported legitimate incidents of civilians throwing snowballs at federal agents during confrontations in cities like Minneapolis and Chicago in response to enforcement tactics, these events are entirely unrelated to the Russian footage currently making rounds on social media.

The circulation of the misattributed video comes at a sensitive time for immigration enforcement in the United States. During the initial phase of his second term, the Trump administration has implemented an aggressive deportation strategy, resulting in increased immigration arrests and removals. Various federal agencies, including ICE and Border Patrol, have been working to fulfill President Trump’s campaign pledge to deport millions of migrants without legal status.

In New York City, tension surrounding immigration enforcement is palpable. Recent weeks have seen reports of federal agents making arrests in Washington Heights and sightings in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, indicating an apparent increase in ICE activity throughout the city.

While the intensity of immigration enforcement operations in New York has not yet matched the level of raids in Chicago—where tactics have reportedly included tear gas deployment and agents accessing private dwellings from high-rise buildings—the Chicago situation has inspired preparedness among New York activists. Community groups have distributed thousands of whistles throughout the city as a simple alert system for residents to warn others when ICE agents are spotted in neighborhoods.

“It could be as easy as a noisemaker,” explained Whitney Hu, a community organizer with South Brooklyn Mutual Aid, which has distributed hundreds of whistles after learning of their use in Chicago.

The spread of misinformation like the snowball video exemplifies the challenges in accurately reporting on immigration enforcement operations, especially during periods of heightened enforcement activity and community response. As federal immigration operations continue across major U.S. cities, the distinction between factual reporting and misattributed content remains crucial for public understanding of actual events.