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A new kind of government message is sparking rage from immigration advocates.
Critics said that several social media posts from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the White House are memes that mean they are calling them inappropriate and dehumanized.
Some of the ads look like viral ticock videos, but the smoothly produced video came from the US government, not from influencers.
One DHS social media post shows an 80s-style ad for a van with a copy that reads, “Think about the number of crime violation aliens that fits this bad bay.”
In another post, the Department of Homeland Security described the pleasant pop-anthem with footage of immigrants placed on planes and a “one-way Jet2 holiday.”
The voiceover artist responded, calling the ad “snarky.” She said she didn’t think her voice would be used for deportation.
In July, DHS posted an idyllic Americana painting by Morgan Weisling along with slogans such as “Preserve Hometown” and “Remember the heritage of your hometown.”
The artist also denounced the use of his work in anti-immigrant ads, saying he had not given DHS permission to use his paintings.
“They even retitled it,” Wiesling said.
Other posts featured slogans like “foreign invaders,” AI images showing groups of crocodiles wearing black ice hats, AI images promoting the Wannial Catraz detention center, and a religious Bible featuring mocking cartoons that arrested migrants who were recently arrested.
Critics said social media has been weaponized to evoke the “destiny of the manifesto” and the theme of white nationalists.
“Memes are mean,” added Angelica Salas, executive director of the Humanitarian Immigration Rights Coalition, adding that social media posts are racist and dangerous.
“That propaganda, those messages, those memes, social media, commercials all have a purpose to create a terrifying environment for our people,” Saras said. “We don’t deserve this.”
The Department of Homeland Security defends the campaign as “bold and effective” and claims it is part of a digital strategy to stop illegal immigration.
“The media continues to ignore American victims to bid on illegal criminal aliens.
Ramesh Srinivasan, a UCLA professor and expert on the intersection of technology and society, said he believes the “average meme” reflects the aggressive behavior the department is taking place on the streets in recent arrests.
“The way DHS and ICE send messages and inform them of their intent. And their actions are incredibly cruel, in my opinion, in line with their actual actions,” Srinivasan said.
A UCLA professor said memes will also play back social media algorithms that promote splitting.
“We often live in this world, where there are extreme views, but now that is our real world,” explained Srinivasan.
Critics like Salsas have said that social media posts are a waste of tax money, but DHS plans to spend more, “It plans to allocate around $200 million to ads to reach illegal immigrants within the US via social media, text messages, and digitally, as well as internationally.
The recent budget passed by lawmakers has allocated $165 billion to DHS.
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