Two Protesters Sue Benny Johnson Over ICE Ride-Along Videos
Kyle Frankovich and Maureen Foody filed a defamation lawsuit against pro-Trump media figure Benny Johnson over videos and social media posts made after protesters were detained outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, in October 2025.
The suit centers on what are described as ICE ride-along videos, according to the Washington Examiner. A defamation claim focuses on a false published statement said to harm reputation. Here, the complaint says Johnson falsely described the protesters as "left-wing terrorists" who assaulted federal officers. In one video cited in the suit, Johnson said, "These individuals assaulted ICE officers as they were trying to clear out the area."
The detention took place on Oct. 31, 2025. Demonstrators had gathered in the "free speech zone," an area set aside for protest, near the ICE processing and detention facility in Broadview. The suit says Frankovich was observing and recording ICE agents from that area when he was thrown to the ground and arrested. Foody was detained with him. Both were released without charges. The suit says Johnson accused them of assault-related crimes that did not occur.
Frankovich works as a data scientist for Harvard University. Foody works as a court reporter. Images of Frankovich with his hands zip-tied behind him were later used in recruiting material by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to NPR, which reported the lawsuit on Oct. 2, 2026. Johnson made the Broadview videos while embedded — traveling with special access — with then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and then Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino. His footage of the detained protesters aired on Fox News. The case concerns both the videos and related social media posts. The filing names Johnson as the defendant. It does not name Noem, Bovino, ICE or Fox News as defendants.
The broader context here is what the court will have to sort out. One question is what happened in the free-speech zone and why protesters who were later released were detained. The other is how Johnson described that detention to a national audience while traveling with agency leaders. The court will compare his statements with the documented outcome, including the lack of charges, and with video from the scene. Lawyers for the plaintiffs will likely focus on words tied to terrorism and assault as claims of criminal conduct. The defense will likely focus on interpretation, opinion and the fast-moving setting outside the facility.
