A Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) van went up in flames in Philadelphia on Tuesday, with video quickly spreading online alongside claims left-wing activists angry at raids by the agency were behind it.
The footage showed a minivan consumed by flames as emergency services cordoned off the area just before 8:40 a.m. ET., with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and the influential right-wing X account Libs of TikTok among the accounts sharing the video.
Newsweek reached out to the Philadelphia Fire Department for comment via email Tuesday afternoon.
The Claim
“A minivan operated by ICE has reportedly been set ablaze during operations in Philadelphia,” Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“If found to be intentional, which it appears to be, this is literal leftwing terrorism to make sure our country continues to be invaded.”
Other MAGA-related accounts also repeated the claims that left-wing activists angry at increased ICE operations were behind the fire.
“This is literal terrorism. And Democrats are inciting this. Lock. Them. Up,” conservative influencer Nick Sortor wrote as he shared the clip.
Courtesy: Citizen App
The Facts
The fire on South Front Street in the Society Hill area of the city was first reported around 8:40 a.m. ET, with ICE later telling Newsweek that the vehicle had experienced “mechanical issues” when the blaze began.
In the footage, a Philadelphia Police Department vehicle could be seen parked across the street to block traffic, but a police spokesperson said none of the department’s vehicles had been affected.
In the hours following, the claims that left-wing, anti-immigration enforcement protestors were behind the fire spread online, despite no signs of any active protest in the footage.
“The Philadelphia Fire Department extinguished the flames after arriving on scene. There were no injuries due to the fast response from the fire department and the vehicle’s occupants,” an ICE spokesperson told Newsweek Tuesday afternoon. “The cause of the fire is unknown, but no foul play is suspected at this time.”
A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Fire Department also told the Daily Beast that the fire was accidental and not an act of protest.
ICE has been visibly ramping-up its targeted enforcement efforts since President Donald Trump returned to the White House on January 20, with raids across the country aimed at arresting known criminals without legal status.
There have been protests in response, from immigrant communities and those supporting them, who worry that those without legal status, who are trying to build new lives in the U.S. and have not committed additional crimes, could also be swept up by agents.
Illegal immigration was a core issue during the 2024 presidential election campaign, with Democrat-run cities welcoming thousands of new arrivals, many of whom crossed the southwest border with Mexico illegally.
The Ruling
False.
Based on an official statement from the Trump administration’s ICE agency, Newsweek determines that the claim left-wing activists were behind the vehicle fire were false.
FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK
