"A helicopter flies low across the water at night before heavily armed figures rappel to the ground, take their positions and break down a door. It's not a trailer for a movie, a video game or a recap of a Pentagon operation. Instead, it's a video from the Department of Homeland Security showcasing Border Patrol agents at work. Despite the combative visuals, it is captioned with the Bible verse, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.""
"The messaging blitz to control the narrative has most recently been on display in Minnesota, where a surge of agents and the fatal shooting last week of 37-year-old Renee Macklin Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent has put the White House's online statements and real-life actions in the spotlight. After another ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis Wednesday evening, videos showed federal agents using flash-bang grenades, pepper balls and chemical irritants against protestors."
Militarized imagery from federal agencies is being distributed on social media to build support for tougher immigration enforcement. A Department of Homeland Security video shows Border Patrol agents in a night raid accompanied by a Bible verse caption. The administration and pro-Trump influencers use such videos to justify aggressive policies and to shape narratives. In Minnesota, a surge of federal agents and the fatal shooting of Renee Macklin Good intensified scrutiny after videos showed agents deploying flash-bangs, pepper balls and chemical irritants against protesters. Influencers and the White House leveraged clips and messages to press for invoking the Insurrection Act and to publicly back ICE.
Read at www.npr.org
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