Only a few days after having sworn as an internal security secretary of Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, well wearing tactical equipment, appeared in New York before dawn with a message for the Americans – and his boss, the American president.
“Live this New York time. I’m on this, “Noem wrote On X, the first in a series of publications on social networks documenting its route with immigration and customs application agents (ICE) and officers of other federal agencies while they were doing a raid in A residential Bronx building on Tuesday. A few hours later, in a video room video, she declared The morning mission is successful: “We are removing the street bags from the street.”
Images issued by the government have been distributed to the media, and federal agencies, notably ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Armedms and Explosifs (ATF) have published images on X.
No official statistics were issued for New York Raids that day. But Blitz advertising helped to fuel what the “Tsar” of Trump’s border, Tom Homan, would be sworn “shock and fear“From the first day.
Trump has mobilized Officers of almost all federal agencies for the application of the American law and the army to help carry out its mass expulsion campaign promised for a long time. But he also counts on his vast army of right -wing personalities and influencers to make sure that Americans connect for repression.
Immigration defenders and activists say that the television style content of the cops is a frightening tactic.
“It is an advertisement to them,” said Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition Advocacy Group, who ridiculed Noem to “cosplay as a law enforcement officer”.
“It has never been a matter of security and security,” he added. “This is cruelty, and that’s the point.”
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin received what the network has presented exclusive access At Boston ice cream last week.
Phil McGraw, the conservative day television host known as Drh Phil, “Embedde” with ice agents and Homan For an operation in Chicago last weekend. In a surreal exchange, McGraw begins to question one of the men who is arrested. The man then took a break in exchange, suddenly recognizing the celebrity psychologist like “Dr Phil”.
“The administration is trying to make these operations a reality show, causing a host from day to day,” said Chuy Garcia, a member of the Democrat Congress of Illinois, during a press conference in the city on Wednesday . “This is optics, not public security. It is a deliberate strategy to desensitize the public. It is a calculated cruelty. »»
Noem defended the media strategy, calling it a “measure of responsibility” for Americans who want to see aggressive implementation measures and it is committed to reaching future patrols.
“It’s not a show,” she told CBS News. “These are the police forces of our country – the judicial process. The scales of justice are also applied to everyone. We want transparency on this subject. »»
The journalist’s Alongs are not new – Fox’s melugin ice During a raid under the Biden administration – and does not watch a secretary of the cabinet promote the president’s agenda on social networks.
But the “made for TV” approach (and Tiktok) of Trump – CNN reported earlier this week than agencies helping the ICE immigration efforts be ready for the camera – There have been clearly different from the previous eras of the application of immigration, say the militants and the defenders.
“Our pain is being entertainment,” said Andrew Herrera, defender of local workers and immigration to Chicago, adding: “I think what he wants is enough to be afraid and push in the shadow. “
The first week of the administration began with radical directives fence Takes of tens of thousands of refugees, asylum seekers and people trying to enter the country legally, while the targeted actions of the application of ice involving a smaller number of immigrants have been carried out with a Maximum marketing. Ice raids are now accelerating regularly, however, in the middle of the news that Trump was not satisfied with the results of the first days.
The agency began to publish a daily statement of arrests which have not been verified independently and do not distinguish between those who have a criminal record and those who have no legal authorization to stay in the country , but do not have a criminal record.
Administration officials have repeatedly declared that they prioritize the detention and deportations of undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes. Yet NBC reported Only half of the 1,179 people quoted as arrested by ice in the United States last Sunday were considered “criminal arrests”.
Asked about the figures, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said that anyone in the country without documentation could be a target.
“They illegally violated the laws of our country and, therefore, are criminals with regard to this administration,” said Leavitt said journalists on Tuesday. “I know that the last administration did not see this in this way, so it is a great change of culture in our nation to see someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal. But that’s exactly what they are.
Being in the United States without legal documentation is considered a civil offense, not a crime and defenders argue that people have the Right to ask For asylum, whatever they enter the country.
The administration has taken care to highlight operations involving the arrests of suspects, almost all men, accused of violent crimes. An X White House account publicized Details of certain arrests, sharing publications with photographs of suspects and cities where ice agents have arrested. “Promised made. Promises held ”, administration subtitle A photograph showing deportees, handcuffed and chained on board military aircraft. As a rule, such deportations had used civilian flights where planes actually hold more figures.
Shana Kushner GadarianA professor at the University of Syracuse specializing in political communication, said that the way in which the administration had developed his raids was an attempt to shape the perception of the public by leading the story that “immigrants are criminals” who “Do not belong to the United States,” she said. Newark reports and elsewhere suggest that the administration throws a much wider net, even by snarling American citizens. While the public learns more about families, communities and businesses disrupted by these implementing measures, support for these operations can start to change.
Meanwhile, Cristian Avila was struck by a feeling of already seen since Trump’s return to power last week. Avila, a DACA recipient Who is the director of national programs of the Latin Poder Advocacy Group, grew up in Arizona for a period of intense anti-immigrant reaction in the state. Figures like the former sheriff of the county of Maricopa, Joe Arpaio, used tactics which have repercussions to “bring together” undocumented immigrants, and a court would govern later, racial profile Latinos.
At the time, Avila’s family relied on a system to register regularly with each other. Panic spread if someone did not answer their phone.
“It has provoked and scares millions of families through the state, and now we see this nationally,” he said. But he said that there was a silver lining: the community began to organize. They chased Arpaio from the office, then began to build their own political influence in the state of the battlefield. Controversial trump forgive the sheriff But he failed to do A political return.
“It puts fear,” he said, “but it also forces us to take matters into their own hands and make the change that is necessary to have a better community.”