The video went viral. Masked, plainclothes police officers in bulletproof vests dragged two people from a Buick crossover waiting in a school pickup line. A woman in handcuffs shouted, “They don’t have a warrant!” and “They forcefully opened the door—it was locked!” Here’s what’s true, and what’s not.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is ramping up immigration enforcement. Videos of arrests and protests have followed. Many of those clips spread quickly online, often with misleading captions. In this case, fact-checking organizations such as Snopes helped separate rumor from reality.

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia reposted the video with this caption: “Your eyes are not deceiving you. These are, in fact, masked ICE agents dragging a legal U.S. resident out of her car while she waits in a pickup line outside an elementary school.” But the full picture is more complicated.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. These are, in fact, masked ICE agents dragging a legal U.S. resident out of her car while she waits in a pickup line outside an elementary school. https://t.co/wDxJJIn2PU

— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) October 9, 2025

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, released the following response:

“While conducting targeted immigration enforcement operations, the U.S. Border Patrol was harassed and recklessly followed by agitators with megaphones and whistles who began to yell inflammatory remarks and alerted the public of the officers’ presence. The agitators attempted to obstruct law enforcement by stalking the law enforcement vehicle and impeding ongoing targeted operations. They were driving recklessly including weaving between lanes and putting other motorists at risk. Following the driver abruptly stopping in the middle of traffic near a school, law enforcement approached the vehicle. The occupants refused to exit the vehicle and follow law enforcement commands. It turns out the agitators were two illegal aliens from Mexico.” — Department of Homeland Security

What the law allows during a traffic stop

The incident did take place amid a line of vehicles waiting to pick students up from school.

The cars were likely queued for the Chicago World Language Academy. However, they sat on a public roadway: West Congress Parkway in Chicago’s West Loop. Police may conduct traffic stops on public roads, regardless of the reason drivers are there. Officers did not lose that authority because the stop occurred near a school.

One woman claimed officers “forcefully opened the door” and said, “They don’t have a warrant.”

During a traffic stop, officers have broad authority to control the scene. Supreme Court rulings in Pennsylvania v. Mimms (1977) and Maryland v. Wilson (1997) allow police to order drivers and passengers to remain inside or exit a vehicle. Officers may use reasonable force to enforce those orders. They don’t need to arrest you or produce a warrant.

In the video, the blue Buick appears to have its driver-side window down. No broken glass is visible. Agents may have reached inside to unlock the door. They also could have used entry tools such as a slim jim. Federal agents often escalate to breaking windows when they choose to use force, but that does not appear to have happened here.

There is a strong legal precedent that it is well within your First Amendment rights to “alert the public of the officers’ presence” [Friend v. Gasparino (2023)]. But that doesn’t mean individual police know this: you may still be forcefully arrested and need to make your argument later in court.

What remains unclear

It is still unclear exactly what preceded the arrest. None of the officers wear uniforms labeled “ICE.” Their vests read “POLICE.” DHS identified them as Border Patrol agents.

DHS claims the occupants “harassed” and “stalked” agents. One woman in the video says the opposite: “They were following us.”

Ed Krassenstein, who first posted the video, later clarified: “Important: These are NOT parents from the school.”

A nonprofit organization later stated: “Both Jocelyn and her sister, who was driving the car, are DACA recipients—and were eventually released after they were finally allowed to prove their legal status.”

Despite DHS claims of reckless driving and obstruction, authorities have filed no charges. There were no students or other children in the vehicle.