The footage began spreading online amid street demonstrations and unrest in Austin following an ICE shooting incident.
AUSTIN, TEXAS: In the wake of an incident on Sunday, September 20, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot a man in Texas, a video quickly made the rounds on social media. The post purported to capture large-scale protests and civil unrest directed at ICE within the state, immediately triggering widespread concern and the need for verification.
Claim: Video depicts massive demonstrations over Texas ICE shooting
The viral 19-second recording depicts a dense crowd moving along a wide roadway or bridge while thick clouds—appearing to be tear gas—fill the air, highlighting a tense environment during crowd-control operations.
After being shared across multiple platforms and racking up millions of views, one iteration of the video carried the caption: “Austin is an active war zone now. Latinos have taken over Austin, Texas. Mexican flags can be seen everywhere.”
Reactions to the footage were deeply polarized, with numerous users expressing alarm and condemning the supposed protest, while a smaller group voiced support.
At the same time, many social media users cast doubt on the video’s validity, calling for an investigation into its actual origins.
Fact Check: Footage originates from protests in Indonesia, filmed in August
While the video itself is genuine, a reverse-image search utilizing key frames demonstrates that it has no connection to Texas. Instead, the footage was captured on August 27 in Jakarta, Indonesia, showing thousands of demonstrators clashing with law enforcement near the parliament building to demand stricter punishments for corrupt government officials.
That particular bout of civil unrest was part of a larger wave of nationwide protests in Indonesia that turned violent, resulting in approximately a dozen deaths and thousands of arrests.
An independent local resident from Jakarta verified to AFP that they personally filmed the video during the Indonesian demonstrations.
Consequently, because the footage is real but entirely unrelated to the recent ICE shooting in Texas, the claim accompanying the video is classified as miscaptioned.
ICE shooting of a Venezuelan national
The circulation of the misleading clip followed real-world demonstrations and tension on the streets of Austin, which erupted after an ICE agent shot a Venezuelan national, Wilber Garces Perez, while he was working a DoorDash delivery. According to legal representation for Perez, he was placed in a detention facility with the bullet still lodged inside his body, despite having been taken to a hospital twice.
Democratic Representative Greg Casar demanded an independent inquiry into the incident, posting on X: “The horror has come to our city: ICE has shot a person in Austin this morning.”
Although official details regarding the shooting were scarce for hours—with authorities withholding the man’s identity and medical status initially—multiple reports highlighted a blue Toyota Corolla featuring visible bullet impacts on the passenger-side door, quickly drawing scrutiny from local leaders.