A video showing a woman being detained outside Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has circulated on social media, with Eric Daugherty reposting footage originally uploaded by Kim Katie.
The reported footage appears to show several plainclothes men surrounding a woman and placing her into an unmarked white van. Some social media users have identified the woman as Jing Zhao.
The video has not been independently verified by HT.com, and the claims made about the footage are based on social media posts and remain unverified.
What Eric Daugherty claimed about the LAX video
Daugherty, Chief Content Officer at Right Line News and FL Voice News, claimed in his post that the men were Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and that they had arrested a Chinese national outside LAX before dawn. He also claimed the woman was being detained over an immigration violation.
{{/usCountry}}Daugherty, Chief Content Officer at Right Line News and FL Voice News, claimed in his post that the men were Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and that they had arrested a Chinese national outside LAX before dawn. He also claimed the woman was being detained over an immigration violation.
{{/usCountry}}Daugherty wrote that “ICE agents just arrested a Chinese national outside LAX airport PRE DAWN in California,” adding that the woman was “going back.” He also claimed airports were becoming increasingly difficult for undocumented immigrants and people with immigration violations to travel through.
The video itself was originally posted by Kim Katie, according to Daugherty's repost. In the footage, a bystander can be heard asking the men whether they are ICE agents. One of the men reportedly identifies himself as an ICE agent and cites an “immigration violation” when asked why the woman was being detained.
The woman is heard shouting the name “Jing Zhao” from inside the vehicle. The footage also shows the men wearing plain clothes, with no clearly visible badges or agency insignia. A U.S. government DHS license plate is visible on the van in the video.
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What we know about the woman and alleged ICE detention
However, HT.com could not independently verify the woman's identity, the circumstances of her detention or whether the men shown in the footage were ICE agents. It also could not independently confirm Daugherty's claim that the woman is a Chinese national or establish the nature of any alleged immigration violation.
Daugherty's post does not provide official documentation or a statement from ICE confirming the arrest. No independent confirmation of the incident was immediately available.
The video has prompted discussion online, with some users questioning why the men were not wearing visible badges or uniforms.
One user wrote, “This looks terrifying. Why no badges or uniforms?”
Another asked, “Anyone know who Jing Zhao is or if she’s okay?”
A third user said, “If they’re real ICE, they should clearly identify themselves.”
Others raised concerns about the use of unmarked vans and masks, while some users said they hoped more information about the woman and her case would emerge.
However, these reactions reflect social media users’ views and do not independently establish the identity of the woman, the men in the video or the circumstances surrounding the reported detention.