Laura Poitras premieres ICE documentary at Venice Film Festival

Oscar-winning director Laura Poitras and co-director Rachel Lauren Mueller premiered their documentary short, ‘They’re Here’, at the Venice International Film Festival. The film documents immigration enforcement operations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis between late 2025 and early 2026.

Utilizing footage from dashcams, bodycams, mobile phones, and local activists, the documentary employs a horror-film aesthetic to depict the tension and chaos of the raids. It features testimonies from migrants, including an individual using the pseudonym Edén Villa, describing the fear of deportation. The film also covers the civil unrest and protests that followed the operations, which included the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, during confrontations with federal agents.

During the film's presentation, Poitras described the current situation for immigrants in the United States as a ‘nightmare’, highlighting the pervasive atmosphere of fear resulting from the administration's deportation policies.