ICE turns arrest into meme; mocks detainee in bizarre ‘ride of shame’ video — outrage erupts as White House reposts video. Watch!

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ignited controversy after posting a video showing agents hauling away a detainee in Portland while blasting a song mocking the detainee. The clip, posted Sunday on X, shows a handcuffed person lying face down on a flatbed cart as officers roll them away. ICE captioned it, “PORTLAND — Refuse to walk? We’ll give you a ride,” as Chamillionaire’s 2000s hit Ridin' plays. The video quickly went viral, drawing cheers from Trump loyalists and backlash from critics who accused the agency of dehumanising detainees.

What happened?

In downtown Portland, an ICE facility has been the site of nightly confrontations between federal agents and protesters since President Donald Trump announced troop deployments to what he called the “war-ravaged” city. The move was halted on Saturday by Trump-appointed Judge Karin Immergut. Blocking the deployment, she ruled that “this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.” However, the court order didn’t stop MAGA influencers from celebrating ICE’s stunt.

Watch the video here:

Lauding ICE's now-viral video, far-right activist Laura Loomer wrote, “I love this account.” Conservative personality Gunther Eagleman added, “LOL! I voted for this.” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier even quipped, “Florida will never become Portland, but this new technique is noted.”

Others egged on the barrage of comments with suggestions, including transporting those detained in a 'Silence of the Lambs' way.

ICE video outrage

The ICE video was later reposted by the official White House account on X — further fueling outrage.

Liberal commentators called the video “propaganda.” Journalist Marcy Wheeler wrote, “Why is ICE still making propaganda during a government shutdown?” Advocacy group Debt Collective demanded the agency be “completely uprooted.”

"Let them post their sick videos, all evidence of human rights violations," posted another.

Former Democratic campaign staffer Timothy Bellman said, “It’s a choice to do this, and film it, and post it with music. That’s what makes it worse.” Calling the video "repulsive", one user remarked, "And we wonder why the United States has been placed on the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist".

Meanwhile, netizens pointed out that the person transported unceremoniously by ICE was "an American citizen with rights? No?".

ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have come under repeated fire for using memes and pop culture in posts about immigration raids. Last month, DHS was forced to pull a Pokémon-themed video after the company said it hadn’t given permission.