No evidence of ICE agents at Disneyland, but footage indicates nearby activity

Yahoo

3 hours ago

Following Snopes' initial reporting about rumors of ICE raids at Disneyland in spring 2025, new claims emerged related to possible federal activity at a park just miles away.
The original claims came in the aftermath of unrest in parts of Los Angeles over the Trump administration's immigration policies, which resulted in clashes between protesters and federal agents in June 2025, with alleged eyewitness reports claiming ICE agents were seen stopping people outside nearby Disneyland.
The rumor appeared to originate on Facebook (archived, archived), but spread more widely via a Reddit post (archived) on June 11, 2025, which gained more than 5,000 upvotes. The rumor also appeared on other platforms such as X (archived) and Bluesky (archived), and numerous Snopes readers searched for information about the claim.
ICE Supposedly Stopping People at Dinseylandbyu/canOair inDisneyland
"Received this from a friend. Others have supposedly seen it too. ICE stopping people leaving the Manchester CM Lot and at the bus stops," the Reddit post read. We reached out to the account that posted the claim and will update this report if we receive a response.
Several commenters appeared to corroborate the report. For example, one user wrote, "I just left the resort and there's a bunch of them by the employee parking near Mickey and Friends."
We looked into the claims and found that despite these alleged sightings, none of the users posted photos, video footage or other tangible evidence of ICE's alleged presence at Disneyland or near employee parking.
Additionally, no credible news outlet reported an ICE presence in or around Disneyland. A straightforward Google search on June 12, 2025, using the keywords "ICE agents at Disneyland," turned up no credible news reports, only iterations of the rumor or claims that the rumor was false.
(Google.com)
Lastly, shortly after the rumor began to spread online, the Orange County Rapid Response Network (OCRRN) claimed to be in direct contact with Disney's External Affairs team, which reported that "there is no ICE presence at the resort" (archived). The full report was as follows:
Community Update: 06/11
No ICE Presence at Disney Resort
We have been in direct contact with Disney's External Affairs team regarding recent rumors about ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activity at their resort. Disney has confirmed there is no ICE presence at the resort. Disney received multiple reports throughout the day.
This is what they shared:
"We can confirm that is not the case. We've gotten multiple reports through the day, but we checked them all and can report that there is no ICE presence at the resort."
According to the network's About page, the OCRRN is "an interconnected system of non-profit and grassroots organizations, civil rights attorneys, law school clinics, and individuals working together to respond to dehumanizing immigration enforcement activities and policies in Orange County."
The OCRRN confirmed via a phone call on June 12 that there were no additional updates, and that the network had been unable to find any visual evidence of the claims. We additionally reached out to both Disney and ICE representatives and will update this story if we receive a response.
However, after we originally published this story on June 12, 2025, the OCRRN released a community alert noting "reliable reports" of "probable ICE actions in the greater Disneyland area, around Anaheim and Garden Grove."
So although there was no available evidence of an ICE presence on the Disneyland campus, there was evidence of probable ICE activity on June 12, 2025, at nearby Pearson Park, which is approximately a six-minute drive from Disneyland.
(Google Maps)
An Instagram video (archived) from June 12 shows federal agents chasing a man by car as he ran. The caption reads:
I wanted to share something that happened around 8:30 am at Pearson Park. It's a concerning situation, and while we can't confirm whether it involves immigration customs enforcement, it's important to acknowledge the stress and uncertainty that such incidents can cause.
A zoomed-in capture of the video shows an individual running with a vest that appears to say "POLICE FEDERAL AGENT."
(Instagram user @anaheimchisme)
Several users across multiple platforms, including Facebook and X (archived, archived), claimed ICE was "outside" Disneyland, while at least one X user (archived) claimed ICE was "literally in front of Disneyland."
A story (archived) by the Daily Pilot – a Los Angeles Times daily newspaper for Orange County – claimed, "While Disney and Anaheim officials disputed the viral claim as unfounded, the city acknowledged cellphone videos of an SUV pursuing a man two miles down the street at Pearson Park the following morning was credible evidence of federal immigration enforcement."
The Daily Pilot interviewed Anaheim Council Member Natalie Rubalcava, who investigated the scene shortly after the video above appeared on Instagram. We reached out to Rubalcava, and will update this story if we receive a response.
Rubalcava told the Pilot a man told her federal agents had asked him and another man he was with to show their identification, after which the other man fled and the chase caught on tape ensued, as follows in the Daily Pilot story:
Anaheim Councilmember Natalie Rubalcava saw the Pearson Park video on Instagram, got dressed and headed out to vet the claim. She spoke to a young Latino who recounted how federal agents dressed in black with their faces covered approached him and another man at the park. "They asked him for identification," Rubalcava said. "When he told them he was born in the U.S., they told him 'prove it.'" He gave agents his Social Security number when the other man fled on foot. Agents driving an SUV gave chase, apprehended the man and left by the time Rubalcava arrived.
In sum, while there remained no evidence of ICE presence on the Disneyland campus or at employee parking areas as of this writing, footage did come to light indicating an SUV and at least one individual wearing a vest labeled "federal agent" pursuing a man on foot at a park approximately 2 miles from the Disneyland campus.
Anaheim, HERE. ICE Activity Disneyland Concerns Recap. 13 June 2025, https://www.hereanaheim.com/ice-activity-disneyland-concerns/.
Council Member Natalie Rubalcava | Anaheim, CA - Official Website. https://www.anaheim.net/3523/Council-Member-Natalie-Rubalcava. Accessed 17 June 2025.
Google Search. https://www.google.com/search?q=Ice+agents+at+disneyland&oq=Ice+agents+at+disneyland&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQABgDMg0IAhAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0IAxAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0IBBAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMgYIBRBFGDwyBggGEEUYPTIGCAcQRRg90gEJMTE4NzlqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&sei=91lLaL6DIsLH0PEP67Lo4Q0. Accessed 12 June 2025
'ICE Didn't Raid Disneyland but Federal Agents Arrested a Man at a Nearby Park'. Daily Pilot, 12 June 2025, https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/entertainment/story/2025-06-12/ice-disney-anaheim.
Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKznTztxz1c/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D. Accessed 17 June 2025.
OC Rapid Response Network. https://ocrapidresponse.org/. Accessed 12 June 2025.