Claim:
A video authentically shows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting and deporting Pizza Hut employees.
Rating:
A rumor that circulated online in November 2025 claimed a video showed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting and deporting Pizza Hut employees.
On Nov. 9, a user managing the USA Journey 897 Facebook page posted a video (archived) depicting ICE agents leading detained employees out the pizza chain’s front door. The clip received around 40 million views, as of this writing.
In the video, a man can be heard saying, “Let’s go! Keep moving! Hands behind your back!” A woman answers, “I didn’t do anything, man.” A second man then says, “Step out. Stay with me, ma’am. This way.” The first man then shouts, “Hey, back inside! Hands up!” A third man adds, “Keep moving. Watch your step. Watch the puddle.” Other voices also could be heard.
A reverse-image search for the clip’s first frame found users sharing the video on Facebook (archived), Instagram, Threads (archived) and X (archived).
In short, the video was fake and generated with artificial intelligence.
Snopes contacted the USA Journey 897 Facebook page’s owner to ask for information about the AI tool they use to create their fake videos, why they create so many inauthentic clips about arrests and deportations, and whether someone is paying them to make the content. We will update this story if we receive further information.
Digging into the rumor
Out of a handful of signs someone generated the video with AI, one in particular that stood out to commenters was that a Pizza Hut employee says lines intended for an ICE agent — “Step out. Stay with me, ma’am. This way.” Also, the first man to speak contradicts his own instructions by first saying, “Hands behind your back!” then seconds later, “Hands up!” Further, an ICE agent, partially visible behind the agent in the background at the beginning of the clip, disappears by the end of the video.
The user managing the USA Journey 897 Facebook page — one person residing in the U.S., according to the “page transparency” tab — edited their original post on Nov. 11 to add a disclaimer reading, “Disclaimer: This video is created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for entertainment and creative purposes only. The characters, voices, and scenes shown are not real and do not represent actual people or events.” A similar disclaimer appeared under the page’s “intro” section.
The user edited their video’s caption on Nov. 11 after noticing its view count skyrocketing. (USA Journey 897/Facebook)
The USA Journey 897 Facebook page, and its affiliated @usa life897 Instagram account, also featured many other AI-generated videos showing arrests and deportations, including additional clips featuring Pizza Hut employees.
For further reading, we previously investigated a popular YouTube video that claimed to show former President Barack Obama saying President Donald Trump was dying.
