A picture of a recent arrest made by an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent is going viral for a peculiar reason.
ICE San Diego shared the photo of a female officer arresting an illegal Mexican immigrant, 42-yera-old Diego Hernandez, on Saturday morning.
In the photo, the officer’s back is turned to the camera and her hair is flicked over her shoulder as she wears her federal agent vest and black slacks.
The post itself has racked up almost 28 million views in less than two days, and sparked accusations that the agency was staged the photo for clicks.
‘Am I f***ing crazy, or is this them trying to humiliate a random immigrant and using an ICE agent’s fat delicious a** just to make sure it gains traction,’ one X user asked.
‘If I renounce my citizenship, does that mean they will send her… to my house? asking for a friend,’ another joked.
A third added: ‘Anyone have the federal agents @?’
ICE San Diego shared the photo of a female officer arresting an illegal Mexican immigrant, 42-yera-old Diego Hernandez, on Saturday morning
Hernandez was wearing a South Park T-shirt at the time of his arrest, featuring character Eric Cartman and the quote: ‘Whatever! I do what I want.’
One of his shoes had fallen off prior to the snap being taken, and his eyes were closed.
Hernandez has multiple drunk driving convictions and is expected to be deported to Mexico.
He was taken into ICE custody after local law enforcement notified ICE of his arrest.
ICE agents often pose with their backs to the camera in order to avoid being identified.
‘ICE San Diego arrested Diego Hernandez, 42, an illegal alien from Mexico with multiple convictions for DUI and repeated illegal re-entry into the U.S.,’ ICE San Diego said in a statement regarding the arrest.
‘He chose to break our laws again and again. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal- because public safety comes first.’
ICE agents often pose with their backs to the camera in order to avoid being identified
The agency is undergoing mass growth as President Donald Trump seeks to ramp up his deportation agenda.
Congress passed legislation giving ICE $76.5 billion in new money to help speed up the pace of deportations – nearly 10 times the agency’s current annual budget. Almost $30 billion is allocated to hiring new staff.
ICE currently has about 6,500 deportation officers, and it is aggressively looking to beef up those numbers. Acting Director Todd Lyons says he wants to hire an additional 10,000 by the end of 2025.
The agency has launched a new recruiting website, offered hiring bonuses as high as $50,000, and is advertising at career expos. Lyons said the agency has already received 121,000 applications — many from former officers.