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Are there video or photographic records of zip-tying in the Chicago ICE raid?
Executive summary
Reporting and firsthand accounts indicate multiple photographs and videos exist showing adults being restrained with zip-ties during the Chicago ICE/BP raids; several news organizations and agencies cite footage posted by DHS and videos taken by residents that show agents using zip-ties on adults [1] [2] [3]. Coverage is mixed on whether children were physically zip-tied: many residents and local reports say children were restrained or separated and describe zip-tying, while federal statements and some interviews say children were not zip-tied and certain viral images were misattributed [4] [5] [6].
1. What the published videos and photos show—adults clearly restrained
Multiple outlets published or described video and photographic material from the operation that show adults with plastic restraints consistent with zip-ties. DHS posted edited clips on X showing agents "blasting through doors, helicopters and adults in zip ties," and ProPublica and PBS reporting include interviews and stills describing adult detainees with their hands zip-tied behind their backs [1] [2] [7]. Local outlets and witnesses also described shots and still images of hallways, broken doors and people detained in zip-ties [8] [9].
2. The disputed question: children and zip-ties—conflicting accounts
Several resident witnesses, local television reports and advocacy groups said children were among those zip-tied or at least separated from parents during the raid [3] [4] [10]. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker publicly accused agents of zip-tying children and separating them from parents [3]. Federal officials and the Department of Homeland Security disputed some of those claims: DHS issued a statement explicitly disputing claims that toddlers were zip-tied and said some viral images were misattributed, and DHS called the governor’s statements “lies” in a press release [5] [1]. Fact-checkers found at least one viral image purported to show a baby zip-tied that actually pre-dated the raid and came from unrelated footage [6].
3. Which outlets published direct visual evidence and what they said
DHS’s own X post included heavily edited video clips showing agents entering buildings and adults in zip-ties, which the agency used to frame the operation [1]. News organizations such as ProPublica, PBS, BBC and Reuters published videos or stills from the scene and quoted residents who described being zip-tied [2] [7] [11] [12]. CNN and local stations ran footage showing residents being led away and photographs of aftermath scenes, though descriptions and conclusions about children varied by outlet [13] [3].
4. Viral imagery and misattribution—what reporters corrected
At least one widely shared image claiming to show an officer zip-tying a toddler was debunked by AFP’s fact-check and by DHS, which said the screenshot that spawned the viral claim was unrelated to the Chicago raid [6] [5]. PBS also noted that among the Venezuelan detainees it interviewed, none said they saw kids being zip-tied, underscoring variation in eyewitness accounts [14].
5. What independent organizations and local officials reported
Advocacy groups such as Amnesty International and local officials framed the operation as involving forcible removal and zip-tying of residents, including children, in their statements and press releases; Amnesty called the raid an attack on human rights and said news reports indicated children were zip-tied [10]. Local media and residents provided multiple personal accounts of being zip-tied and held for hours [9] [15].
6. Limitations, open questions and how to interpret the record
Available reporting clearly documents photographic and video records of adults being restrained with zip-ties [1] [2]. However, sources disagree about whether children were physically zip-tied: several eyewitnesses and local reports say yes, whereas DHS and fact-checkers point to misattributed imagery and deny zip-tying toddlers, and some interviews with detainees said they did not see children zip-tied [4] [5] [6] [14]. Current reporting does not present a single, uncontested, unedited video clip that incontrovertibly shows children being zip-tied; available sources either show adults in restraints or rely on witness testimony for claims about children [1] [2].
7. How to verify further
To resolve remaining disputes, journalists and researchers should obtain unedited full-length video files and timestamps from DHS/X posts, body-worn camera footage (if any), local TV raw feeds, and original resident-shot videos or photos—plus chain-of-custody for viral images that were debunked—to compare sequences showing children and to identify possible misattribution [1] [6]. Court filings, internal DHS after-action reports or independent oversight reviews (not summarized in these sources) may also clarify procedures used on minors; available sources do not mention such documents.
Summary: there is documented photographic and video evidence of adults being zip-tied in the Chicago raids [1] [2]. Claims that children were zip-tied are widespread in local reporting and witness statements but are explicitly disputed by DHS and challenged by fact-checkers for at least some viral images, so the question remains contested in current coverage [4] [5] [6].