Omaha Police warn against misinformation in wake of South Omaha ICE operations

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Omaha Police and officials are advising residents to be wary of fake posts on social media posing as official statements from law enforcement or other agencies.

The post getting shared around in the wake of ICE operations conducted in South Omaha on Tuesday appears to be coming from Latino OPD leaders warning about a future “raid,” but Chief Todd Schmaderer said in a news conference Wednesday that the post is fake and full of misinformation.

OPD wasn’t notified in advance of Tuesday’s federal immigration enforcement operation at Glenn Valley Foods until they were asked to provide traffic assistance that morning, the chief said.

During the news conference, both Schmaderer and Mayor John Ewing repeatedly insisted that OPD officers would not be part of immigration enforcement, and that anyone in Omaha should not hesitate to call for help when they need emergency police, fire, or medical assistance.

“You’re always worried about trust when you’re in law enforcement because it’s a very fragile thing, so you have to continue to do the work every day,” Ewing said.

ICE IN SOUTH OMAHA

https://www.wowt.com/2025/06/11/south-omaha-community-still-processing-tuesdays-ice-enforcement-operations/

On Wednesday, South 24th Street saw traffic once again. It was a stark contrast from Tuesday when the area felt like a ghost town.

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A day after ICE served a warrant at a South Omaha business, local officials held a news conference Wednesday to share more details about the events that transpired.

Schmaderer reiterated a similar message and asked for assistance from the media and community partners.

“So many things are thrown out there when something large happens, as did yesterday in our community. So many rumors, so many things get out there,” he said. “There has to be credible messengers. There has to be information taken back to disseminate what is actually occurring and what is not occurring.”

Schmaderer pointed to an instance of an incorrect rumor circulating on Wednesday about some officers knowing when another ICE operation might be occurring in Omaha. He reiterated that OPD isn’t informed of such things.

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