Fact Check: ICE are now deporting people at deportation protests.

Fact Check: "ICE are now deporting people at deportation protests."

What We Know

In January 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump's second inauguration, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramped up its operations significantly. This increase in enforcement led to widespread protests across various states, including California, Georgia, and Illinois, against the administration's immigration policies (source-2). The protests were largely in response to high-profile ICE raids that resulted in the detention of hundreds of undocumented immigrants (source-2).

On June 15, 2025, President Trump directed ICE to prioritize deportations in cities governed by Democrats, stating that the agency should "expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens" (source-3). This directive came amidst ongoing protests, where demonstrators were often met with aggressive law enforcement tactics, including the use of tear gas to disperse crowds (source-3).

Analysis

The claim that ICE is deporting individuals at deportation protests is partially true. While ICE has indeed increased its operations and deportations in response to protests, the specifics of how and when these deportations occur during protests are less clear. Reports indicate that ICE has been targeting neighborhoods and residential areas, which may include individuals present at protests, but there is no definitive evidence that ICE is specifically conducting deportations at the protests themselves (source-5).

The protests have been met with significant police presence, and in some cases, law enforcement has used crowd control measures to manage the demonstrations (source-6). However, the direct link between protests and immediate deportations is not well-documented in the available sources. Instead, the focus has been on ICE's broader strategy of increasing arrests and deportations in response to the protests rather than targeting individuals specifically at these events.

The reliability of the sources varies. The information from mainstream news outlets like the Associated Press and Reuters is generally credible, as they are established organizations with a history of fact-checking and journalistic integrity. However, the Wikipedia entry, while informative, may not always reflect the most current or comprehensive information due to its collaborative nature (source-2).

Conclusion

The claim that "ICE are now deporting people at deportation protests" is partially true. While ICE has increased its deportation efforts in response to protests against its policies, there is insufficient evidence to confirm that deportations are specifically occurring during these protests. Instead, the agency's broader strategy appears to involve heightened enforcement in areas with significant immigrant populations, which may indirectly affect those participating in protests.

Fact Check: ICE are now deporting people at deportation protests.