Altered image of immigration protest misrepresented as largest ever in the US
- Published on February 6, 2026 at 13:55
- 3 min read
- By Tolera FIKRU GEMTA, AFP Ethiopia
Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have met stiff resistance in cities across the United States. However, an image circulating on Facebook in Ethiopia does not show a demonstration unrivalled in size. AFP Fact Check found the original picture was altered, and the crowd, although large, was smaller than depicted.
A Facebook post in Afaan Oromoo, one of Ethiopia’s major languages, translates to: “USA has never before seen such an unprecedented number of people protesting,” adding that “a new history has been made during Trump’s regime.”
The attached photo shows a massive crowd occupying the streets, flanked by two prominent buildings.
“This troublesome man has brought neither peace to the world nor to America,” reads one of the more than 170 comments.
“Look, these are empowered people; they stand together for their rights,” says another.
A similar Facebook post from the US claims: “Billions of protestors march in downtown Minneapolis, braving sub-zero temperatures for ‘ICE Out’ day.”
A screenshot of the post, since deleted, was taken before it could be archived by AFP Fact Check.
Similar claims were shared elsewhere on Facebook here and here.
Anti-ICE protests
As part of US President Donald Trump’s intensified deportation campaign, thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to Minneapolis, triggering widespread protests (archived here).
Public anger escalated after federal agents shot and killed two US citizens in January: ICU nurse Alex Pretti during a roadside altercation and Renee Good weeks earlier in her car.
AFP reported that thousands of demonstrators marched through the city on January 23 despite icy conditions, with some businesses closing in solidarity (archived here).
Outrage deepened after images circulated of immigration officers detaining a terrified five-year-old boy while attempting to arrest his father, adding to calls to end the federal crackdown.
However, the image that claims to show an unprecedented number of people protesting against ICE is digitally manipulated.
Altered image
AFP Fact Check conducted a reverse image search and found a similar photo on the Getty Images website (archived here).
“Demonstrators participate in a rally and march during an ‘ICE Out’ day of protest on January 23, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota,” the caption reads.
"Community leaders, faith leaders and labor unions have urged Minnesotans to participate in what they are calling a "day of action" as hundreds of local businesses are expected to close during a statewide general strike held in protest against immigration enforcement operations in the region."
This image was used in various articles published by major media outlets, including here and here (archived here and here).
However, the Getty photograph contains much more detail of the crowd, which is notably smaller than the purported turnout depicted in the false posts.
The original image also shows adjoining buildings that are absent in the version shared on Facebook.
Additionally, the unnaturally dense crowd is a sign of artificially generated imagery.
AFP Fact Check used AI-detector tools Vera.ai and Image Whisperer, which established high probability of the image being AI-generated.
Through geolocation, we identified the two prominent buildings in the image as the US Bank Stadium and the Edition Apartment Homes, with the majority of the crowd gathered in the open space between them known as The Commons.
AFP Fact Check has debunked several claims related to anti-ICE protests such as here and here.
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