Conservative Influencer Says She Joined DHS Secretary In Immigration Raid: 'Arrested Some Criminal Illegal Aliens'

Chaya Raichik, a conservative influencer and creator of social media account Libs of TikTok, which has millions of followers across different platforms, appeared to wear an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) badge on Tuesday as she accompanied Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem in an immigration enforcement operation.

"Arrested some criminal illegal aliens with Secretary Noem this morning! Exclusive footage coming soon. Phoenix, Arizona just became a lot safer," reads a publication by Raichik on her personal account on X.

The Libs of TikTok account then posted a series of videos showing parts of the operation. It focused on the arrest of "Mexican National Jose Escobar-Robles who's in our country illegally and is accused of human trafficking and drug trafficking." "He was previously deported and came back into our country illegally. Democrats are mad that people like him are getting arrested," the post added.

The account posted another video in which Noem asks the detainee if he understands the charges against him. After lifting his foot, she says "you're scaring me with your crocs." Noem's official X account republished the videos.

The videos were published shortly after a Florida man was arrested for impersonating an ICE agent while attempting to detain two men during a fake traffic stop.José Juan Lopez, 23, stands accused of pulling over the victims' vehicle last week and demanding they show him their identification and immigration status.

The victims, two Latino men, grew suspicious of Lopez's behavior and managed to drive off before calling 911. Lopez, who was reportedly wearing pajama pants and a backwards hat, claimed to be an ICE agent, but the victims noted that legitimate officers typically do not operate in such attire.

Lopez was arrested after failing to turn the situation around, falsely claiming he was the one threatened with deportation by the victims. After further investigation, authorities charged him with impersonating a federal law enforcement officer.