Accused ICE impersonator in Fife was filming YouTube prank, per police

A 26-year-old Auburn man is accused of impersonating federal immigration agents as part of a so-called YouTube stunt that reportedly left a local Ukrainian community shaken.

Ilya Kukhar pleaded not guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of second-degree criminal impersonation after allegedly driving a black Ford Explorer—made to look like a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle—through the parking lot of Emish Market in Fife on March 16. Court records say the SUV bore white “ICE” lettering and a Homeland Security-style decal, but it was misspelled as the “S.U. Department of ICE Deliveries.”

Surveillance video reviewed by Fife police showed the SUV repeatedly circling and blocking access to the store.

A YouTube prank ‘blown out of proportion’

According to a probable cause affidavit, Kukhar circled the market several times, at points blocking the entrance and honking, alarming store employees and customers—many of them Ukrainian immigrants—who feared they were being targeted by real ICE agents. The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed the vehicle was not affiliated with any federal agency and noted that federal charges could be considered.

According to The Seattle Times, Kukhar admitted to police that he was filming for a YouTube video and said it had been “blown out of proportion.” He noted he’s Ukrainian, too.

Police were also sent a video by a local reporter that showed a man—allegedly Kukhar—wearing ICE-style gear, handcuffing another person, and placing them in the SUV.

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