Inside ICE’s Private Chats About Going Viral

Summary

This investigation delves into ICE's transformation into a viral media powerhouse under the Trump administration, focusing on their aggressive social media strategy. By recording and promoting cinematic, action-packed videos of deportations and raids, ICE's digital team fuels public outrage, capitalizing on viral content to dominate online discourse. The strategy, which blends influencer culture with government operations, raises questions about privacy, ethics, and the impact on public perceptions of immigration enforcement. The piece reveals how ICE's operations and partnerships with influencers blur the line between politics, media, and social activism.

Takeaways

• 😀 ICE's public affairs office evolved under Trump's second term, shifting from a routine government communication shop to a viral content-producing machine focused on immigration and deportation.
• 😀 ICE's social media strategy is designed to dominate platforms, creating attention-grabbing, often controversial content to fuel public debates on immigration policy.
• 😀 The White House set the tone for ICE's viral approach, encouraging aggressive, smashmouth tactics on social media to engage with both supporters and opponents.
• 😀 ICE has become one of the most viral accounts under the Trump administration, leveraging graphic content and shock value to gain views and shares.
• 😀 Internal ICE chat logs reveal that content creation is intentional, with videographers embedded in field operations to capture dramatic scenes for social media, including unblurred faces of detained individuals.
• 😀 ICE’s new approach involves capturing and editing footage in real-time, focusing on dramatic scenes that are most likely to go viral, often at the expense of individuals' privacy.
• 😀 While traditional law enforcement prioritizes protecting the privacy of detainees, ICE has shown little regard for this, often posting unaltered footage of arrests.
• 😀 Content that portrays dramatic arrests or 'takedowns' is prioritized, with a focus on the spectacle and outrage value, even if it doesn't reflect the reality of most operations.
• 😀 Videos are often paired with viral captions, music, and memes, including controversial choices like copyrighted songs, to maximize engagement, even at the risk of copyright violations.
• 😀 ICE's strategy is heavily influenced by meme culture, with the goal of enraging certain groups, like liberals, to further amplify the content through shares and reactions.
• 😀 The agency also collaborates with influencers, offering them privileged access to ICE operations in exchange for content that amplifies the administration's message to specific audiences.

Q & A

How did ISIS's public affairs office operate before Trump's second term?

Before Trump's second term, ISIS's public affairs office operated like a typical government communications shop. It primarily focused on issuing press releases and public service announcements, mainly to their own website, which few Americans would see. It was a relatively low-profile, behind-the-scenes operation.

What significant change occurred in the way ICE handles its public communications during Trump's second term?

Under Trump's second term, ICE transformed into an influencer-style media machine, producing viral videos that highlighted tactical operations and immigration raids. This shift was part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dominate social media, leveraging content to influence public opinion on immigration.

How did the White House influence ICE's social media strategy?

The White House played a crucial role in pushing ICE and other agencies to adopt a smashmouth, aggressive social media strategy. They encouraged the use of provocative, meme-driven content to appeal to Trump's base, while constantly portraying the administration as tough on immigration.

What kind of content did ICE's social media team focus on producing?

ICE's social media team focused on producing cinematic, action-movie-style videos of immigration raids, often including dramatic music, captions, and visuals of arrests. They emphasized the spectacle and tried to create viral moments that would trigger strong reactions from both supporters and critics.

How did ICE ensure the viral success of its videos?

ICE's strategy involved embedding video producers with ICE agents during raids to capture dramatic footage. After filming, the team would quickly edit and share the footage online, often using catchy captions and music to make the videos more engaging and shareable. Their goal was to produce content that could go viral and dominate social media.

What role did influencers play in ICE's media strategy?

Influencers played a key role in amplifying ICE's content. ICE would proactively share arrest footage with conservative influencers, who would then post it, often without critical commentary. This helped spread ICE's message to a broader audience and added credibility to their narrative through influencers with established followings.

What concerns did some individuals within ICE have about the agency's approach to social media?

Some ICE employees were disturbed by the agency's focus on sensationalizing deportation operations. They felt that the constant portrayal of immigration enforcement as a battle against 'the worst of the worst' distorted the reality of the agency's work, which involved many individuals with no criminal backgrounds.

How did ICE's use of video content affect the privacy of those being arrested?

The privacy of individuals being arrested was often disregarded. ICE did not blur faces or take steps to protect the identities of those captured in videos, despite the fact that past administrations had been more careful about preserving privacy and protecting legal cases. ICE's focus was on using these videos for viral publicity, with little regard for the consequences for the people involved.

What types of arrests did ICE prioritize for video content, and why?

ICE prioritized videos of dramatic arrests, such as chases or intense takedowns, as these performed the best online. The goal was to create content that would evoke strong reactions, particularly outrage from critics of the administration, which could then be shared widely, amplifying the video's reach.

How did ICE's media approach differ from traditional government communications?

Unlike traditional government communications, which typically avoided controversial or sensational content, ICE under the Trump administration leaned heavily into viral tactics. They used edgy, attention-grabbing visuals, music, and captions, and were willing to break conventional rules, such as using copyrighted music or controversial memes, to maximize engagement.