Fact-check: Did ICE raid International Markets in America for illegal immigrants? (video)

 

A trending video shows a fleet of security vehicles rapidly converging on a shopping mall in America with a narrative that it was an operation by immigration officials to arrest illegal migrants in Saraga International Market, Columbus, Ohio, USA.

The video was recorded by someone in the parking lot of the shopping arena and it captured the moment over half a dozen security vehicles arrived in quick succession on the business premises.

The person who did the recording did not speak directly to the camera but a narrative sent with the video claimed that it was an operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to arrest illegal immigrants at the shopping arena.

The post states: “If you know anybody that doesn’t have American papers/ID, Tell them to avoid African Markets and International Markets. ICE just raided Saraga Market on Morse Road today in Columbus, Ohio USA”.

MicroSecondNews’ investigations, however, revealed that the video has no connection with Saraga International  Grocery Market, Columbus, Ohio.

With the aid of Google Lens, we traced the video to an incident at the parking lot of La Michoacana on West 34th Street, in Houston, US on May 13, 2023.

A man followed another man he suspected killed his brother to the shopping arena and shot him dead, prompting multiple shoppers to call the police to report the shooting.

A battery of policemen in squad vehicles with flashing lights stormed the location to curtail an active shooter situation.

Angel Chavira was later arrested by the police and charged with the killing of Luis Martinez, 39.

The video capturing the arrival of the Houston Police Department (HPD) squad cars was repurposed by someone as a fresh incident accompanied by a false narrative that it was an ICE raid on Saraga International Market.

Further probe led us to an official statement by the management of Saraga International Market, denouncing the news as fake.

The management of Saraga International grocery store on Morse Road, Columbus, Ohio described the social media post as false.

The General Manager of the Saraga International Grocery, Medhi El-Khatib told NewAmericansMagazine: “There is nothing like that”.

He added that he had been in the store from about 7 am on the day that the purported raid took place and “nothing like that happened either outside or inside the store.”

There is no credible news organisation in the US or elsewhere which reported any ICE raid on any international market in America or its environs.

Nevertheless, the false narrative has continued to spread on social media in Nigeria and some other African countries with most of them using the exact wording of the original post anonymously released on social media.

See the video with the false narrative here.