The accusation detonated online in minutes: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had run over a protester in Tennessee.
The claim spread with the familiar certainty of a verdict already reached, amplified by activists and influencers who didn’t wait for facts because outrage was the point.
On Sunday, an anti-ICE protest in Memphis garnered all sorts of attention due to, as WREG reported, “a viral video circulating on social media that appeared to show a trooper hitting a demonstrator.”
Given the inflamed tensions between the left and ICE following last week’s tragic incident involving a Minneapolis woman who died after driving her car toward an ICE agent, it’s little wonder this blew up.
There’s just one (rather significant) problem with that narrative: It collapsed as soon as authorities released dashcam footage that highlighted the truth of the matter.
Take a look at the video, courtesy of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and see for yourself if ICE did indeed run over a protester:
Claims circulating on social media that a person was hit by a THP trooper in Memphis are false. Video shows the individual holding the vehicle, lying down, then standing up and leaving on his own. Peaceful protest is protected. Entering active roadways is not and risks lives. pic.twitter.com/x0aSiw0rU1
— Tennessee Highway Patrol (@TNHighwayPatrol) January 13, 2026
Well. Would you look at that.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol flatly stated, “Claims circulating on social media that a person was hit by a THP trooper in Memphis are false. Video shows the individual holding the vehicle, lying down, then standing up and leaving on his own.”
The post added, “Peaceful protest is protected. Entering active roadways is not and risks lives.”
This specific debacle should be utterly infuriating for anyone who cares even a shred about things like the truth. And it should be doubly infuriating for anyone who can actually be bipartisan long enough to realize that ICE and other authorities are simply trying to do good.
ICE and other federal law enforcement agents operate in an environment where every split-second decision is judged in hindsight by millions who weren’t there, don’t understand the law, and often don’t care about nuance.
They are tasked with upholding the rule of law in communities that increasingly resent their presence, even when what they’re doing is legal, necessary, and aimed squarely at protecting public safety.
This isn’t theoretical — it’s the day-to-day reality of men and women who wake up each morning knowing they will face hostility before they ever reach their first assignment.
The backlash following recent incidents makes that point painfully clear.
Look, I understand why Renee Good’s tragic death in Minneapolis has ignited nationwide protest and political fury, with critics demanding sweeping policy changes and even blocking local access to evidence in the case. I wholeheartedly disagree with that logic, but I can at least concede the why.
But what’s lost in all this outrage is that these agents don’t operate in a vacuum. They confront real threats, unpredictable situations, and sometimes dangerous resistance, all while trying to follow strict legal guidelines. The public rarely sees the training, protocols, and split-second judgments that go into each interaction, but they are there, and they matter.
Instead, what we’re left with is a world where every incident becomes fodder for political point-scoring rather than sober analysis.
It’s beyond thankless at this point. ICE agents are vilified not for any isolated incident, but as a monolithic bogeyman, stripped of humanity and professional context in the rush to condemn.
That demonization has seeped into public discourse, amplified by media and activist narratives that simplify complex, fast-moving scenarios into sound bites and political leverage. This leaves agents exposed not just to physical danger, but to reputational violence that blurs truth and inflames division.
Yes, tragedies warrant sober discussion and careful investigation — every loss of life should be taken seriously.
But turning a complicated, dynamic situation into a referendum on an entire agency that is legally mandated to keep communities safe is beyond obscene.
ICE officers are not caricatures; they are law enforcement professionals tasked with difficult, dangerous work. The current climate of partisan demonization ignores the complexity of these jobs and the real sacrifices made by those who serve.
And those spreading false narratives — like what supposedly happened in Tennessee — should be ashamed for contributing to that climate.
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