A rumor that a video showed Los Angeles residents chasing away U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents circulated online in March 2026. Some users sharing and engaging with the clip on social media appeared to believe it showed a clash between ordinary citizens and ICE agents.
The 18-second video allegedly features a masked person running up to and punching a masked ICE agent in the face. In the seconds that follow, a crowd rushes three uniformed men, chasing them away.
For example, on March 26, an X user posted (archived) the clip with the caption, "Here's ICE being chased by the residents of Los Angeles." Similarly, a Threads post (archived) showing the video displayed the caption, "Los Angeles citizens chasing ICE thugs. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of this. People are fed up." Each post received millions of views. Other users also shared the clip with similar captions.
In short, the video was real but had nothing to do with ICE agents or the United States. The clip originated from an incident in Mexico in February 2026, involving market merchants clashing with law enforcement officers.
Finding the truth of the video
A reverse image search for the clip's individual frames returned numerous posts and articles about a newsworthy altercation occurring in Mexico.
The Mexico City-based publication El Universal reported the clash occurred on Feb. 11 in San Luis Potosí, involving merchants from the Central de Abastos market and members of the Guardia Civil Estatal, or State Civil Guard. The words "Guardia Civil" appear visible on the back of at least one of the uniformed men.
The El Universal article, translated from Spanish to English, began as follows:
A confrontation between merchants from the Central de Abastos and members of the State Civil Guard (GCE) generated moments of tension at noon this Wednesday in the capital of San Luis Potosí.
According to the official report, the conflict originated as a dispute between individuals in the vicinity of the supply center.
However, the situation became more tense after the arrival of state agents to intervene in the altercation, at which point a group of merchants allegedly began to attack the officers.
Videos circulating on social media show how some of those involved threw tomatoes and other merchandise, as well as hitting the uniformed officers during the confrontation.
The report noted police arrested five people allegedly involved in the incident.
In another video (archived) showing additional footage, the caption, translated from Spanish to English, read, "So, what happened? With tomatoes and punches, vendors at the Central de Abastos market confront the State Civil Guard."
Aztecas Noticias, also a Mexico-based news media outlet, reported with further video (archived).
The Azteca Noticias video very briefly showed a storefront with the name "DAPSA" at the 0:06 mark, followed by a "Bodega Lujan Diaz" storefront visible at the 0:24 mark. Searches for those businesses with Google Maps located the exact location where the altercation in the clip began along a wall of graffiti, between two buildings in the Central de Abastos market.
For further reading, we previously reported about a video allegedly showing New York City residents throwing snowballs at ICE agents.