The White House has released a video showing undocumented immigrants being shackled and escorted onto a deportation flight departing from Seattle. The 41-second clip, shared on X on Tuesday with the title “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight,” includes close-up shots of chains and cuffs laid out on the tarmac, as well as detainees walking with their hands and ankles restrained.
One scene shows an immigrant walking past an officer with his hands cuffed in front of him and his ankles bound by a chain. Other shots include a close-up of a man’s handcuffs being secured, another individual’s feet in chains while ascending a stairway to the plane, and a man preparing to board. The faces of the detainees are not visible.
The video’s tone—along with the White House’s caption—mirrors the Trump administration’s eagerness, and that of its supporters, for large-scale deportations.
Since taking office on January 20, President Donald Trump has ramped up deportations as part of his immigration policy. Thousands of undocumented immigrants have already been removed, including over 300 Indian nationals.
Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, has reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to deportations, stating he will not rest until every “illegal criminal migrant” is “eradicated” from the country. He also claimed that illegal border crossings have declined under Trump compared to previous years.