AI-Created Anti-ICE Videos Are Receiving a Fanfiction Makeover

At first glance, the altercation shown in the video appears startling. A principal from New York City, brandishing a bat, confronts masked ICE agents attempting to enter the building behind her, and instead of violence, the scene is filled with applause from bystanders. “Let me show you why they call me bat girl,” she tells them. In similar videos, a server hurls a bowl of steaming noodles at two officers dining at a Chinese restaurant, while a shop owner asserts her Fourth Amendment rights. None of these encounters lead to bloodshed.

The footage, simultaneously tense and dramatic, is clearly AI-generated. They are part of a wave of anti-ICE AI content proliferating on social media, emerging alongside the federal occupation of Minneapolis—part of the Trump administration’s assault on immigrants—resulting in agents fatally shooting two US citizens in January. Both Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, were unarmed when they were killed by government personnel.

In America, the concept of fantasy—the ability to envision a better world and actively strive to make it a reality—holds significant importance during periods of political turmoil. The videos, collecting millions of views on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, present a blend of reimagined justice, envisioning a digital multiverse where ICE agents are depicted as accountable beings, not above the law.

Collectively, anti-ICE AI videos serve as a means for individuals to counter the misrepresentations propagated by the Trump administration and MAGA influencers to rationalize their actions, says AI creator Nicholas Arter. “Over the past decade, social media has provided a platform for voices often excluded from mainstream media. It’s unsurprising that with another significant technological shift like AI, we are witnessing similar trends, as people utilize available tools to express emotions, anxieties, or resistance.” However, while these videos may offer a sense of release, they also represent a form of distortion, which could lead to repercussions, either reinforcing stereotypes of people of color or increasing public skepticism toward genuine video evidence.

An account using the name Mike Wayne, whose owner opted not to respond to multiple inquiries, seems to be one of the most active contributors in this genre. The account has shared over 1,000 videos—primarily showcasing people of color resisting ICE agents—on his Instagram and Facebook pages since Good was shot on January 7. The clips resonate as digital counter-narratives: an ICE agent being paraded, a Latina woman slapping an officer, and a priest physically pushing masked officials out of his church while declaring, “I don’t know what god you worship, maybe an orange one, but my god is love.” (In reality, federal agents arrested around 100 clergy members last week during a protest at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport, where faith leaders reported approximately 2,000 deportations.)

These videos construct an alternative narrative in which the passion and anger of Americans opposing the federal takeover of their cities come without the cost of lives, and where accountability truly holds significance. One of Wayne’s most popular videos features an ICE agent clashing with white tailgaters at a sporting event, a scene so surreal it has garnered 11 million views within a mere 72 hours. “Down with fascism,” a voice can be heard in the background. Humor also plays a vital role in these fan-fiction-style clips. In a post from the meme account RealStrangeAI, four drag queens with vibrant wigs chase ICE officers through a neighborhood in Saint Paul.