Americans Are Strapping Passports to Their Heads Over Fears of ICE [View all]
Source: Newsweek
Published Jan 26, 2026 at 12:22 PM EST updated Jan 26, 2026 at 12:54 PM EST
Americans are sharing videos on social media with their passports strapped to their heads in response to growing concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
In viral videos, social media creators have said they are wearing the documents this way to ensure they have proof of American citizenship before they are asked for it, with one TikTok creator saying in a video: "You cannot be too careful, you gotta move with purpose now."
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said in an email shared with Newsweek: "REAL IDs are not immigration documents—they make identification harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists. REAL ID can confirm identity but does not confirm legal status. The INA [Immigration and Nationality Act] requires aliens and non-citizens in the U.S. to carry immigration documents."
Why It Matters
The trend began in December, but more videos have been shared online amid an intensified national focus on federal immigration operations in Minneapolis following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens—Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, by Border Patrol, and Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, by ICE—in less than three weeks.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/americans-wear-passports-on-heads-ice-fears-viral-videos-11418189
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