Fact Check: Unpacking claims video shows over 500 construction workers detained by ICE in Texas
Claim:
A video shared on social media claimed that over 500 construction workers being detained by ICE agents at Texas job sites in late June 2025.
Rating:
In late June 2025, a 10-second video circulated online purportedly showing a mass detention of construction workers by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents gained traction on social media.
For example, on June 25, 2025, one Instagram post (archived), which accumulated over 449,000 views as of this writing, stated: "BREAKING: Over 500+ construction workers — mostly Hispanic — have been detained by federal agents in Texas while simply showing up to work. Workers are reportedly being rounded up at job sites and taken to holding camps. This all happened in just the last 48 hours."
(occupydemocrats/Instagram)
Snopes readers contacted us about the claim, with one reader emailing to ask whether the "video of construction workers detained by ICE" was "accurate or not."
The video accompanying the post showed a large number of workers gathered in what appeared to be a temporary tent structure at a construction site. A caption embedded in the video asked: "so, if all these construction workers are detained by ICE, who's doing the construction?"
The same video had been circulating on other social media platforms including TikTok (archived) and Threads (archived).
However, Snopes' investigation found that while the video appeared to be authentic footage of a construction site gathering, it was miscaptioned and did not show an ICE detention operation in late June 2025.
Snopes has not yet been able to confirm who filmed the footage, but there was no evidence the clip was the product of artificial intelligence (AI) software or other digital manipulation.
The same video had been circulating on Instagram prior to the June 25 claim. For example, one Instagram account posted (archived) the identical footage on June 8, 2025, with a Spanish-language caption that translated to "Here are the workers detained by ICE."
(usalatinnews/Instagram)
That earlier post received over 531,000 views, predating the recent posts by more than two weeks and indicating that the video was not tied to any verified enforcement action within the past 48 hours, as recently claimed.
Snopes found no publicly available evidence supporting the claim that a mass ICE raid involving more than 500 workers took place in Texas during the time period described in the post. While ICE has carried out workplace enforcement actions at construction sites in recent months, the largest confirmed (archived) operation occurred in Tallahassee, Florida, where "100+" workers were arrested on May 29, 2025, according to the agency. In Texas, the largest publicly documented (archived) construction-site raid involved 25 arrests at job sites in South Padre Island and Brownsville on June 4.
We reached out to ICE to ask whether its agents had conducted any operation involving the detention of 500 or more construction workers in Texas during late June 2025.
An ICE spokesperson responded directly to Snopes via email: "The video is not related to any activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
Based on visual clues in the video—such as safety signage, worker attire, and the industrial scale of the operation—the footage may have been recorded at the Port Arthur LNG construction site in Texas. This liquefied natural gas export terminal, being built by Bechtel Construction Service for Sempra Infrastructure, regularly holds large safety meetings and worker gatherings that could account for the scene shown. Photos shared on Facebook by both Bechtel (archived) and Sempra (archived) show similar large tented structures used for events and meetings at the Port Arthur LNG site as well as the exact same safety signage, supporting the likelihood that the video was filmed there.
Snopes reached out to Sempra Infrastructure and Bechtel to confirm whether the video was filmed at the Port Arthur LNG site and whether any immigration enforcement actions took place at or near the site during the relevant period. As of this writing, neither company has responded to our inquiry.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "ICE arrests more than 100 illegal aliens during targeted enforcement operation in Tallahassee." ICE News Releases, https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-arrests-100-illegal-aliens-during-targeted-enforcement-operation-tallahassee. Accessed June 26, 2025.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "ICE Rio Grande Valley conducts worksite enforcement operation resulting in 25 arrests." ICE News Releases, https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-rio-grande-valley-conducts-worksite-enforcement-operation-resulting-25-arrests. Accessed June 26, 2025.
Bechtel Corporation. "Sempra Infrastructure announces EPC contract with Bechtel for Port Arthur LNG Phase 2." Bechtel Press Releases, https://www.bechtel.com/press-releases/sempra-infrastructure-announces-epc-contract-with-bechtel-for-port-arthur-lng-phase-2/. Accessed June 26, 2025.
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