On Monday morning, White House staffers posted dozens of posters with the purported mugshots of immigrants accused of crimes as part of a propaganda campaign by the Trump administration. The posting is meant to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office, but at the same time Trump is facing renewed criticism and a drop in public approval on this key issue.
The posters were intentionally placed along the White House walkway where reporters stand to deliver TV news reports, meaning they will be seen by millions of viewers. Attorney General Pam Bondi stood in front of the posters alongside Brian Kilmeade, co-host of the pro-Trump “Fox & Friends” on Fox News, for an interview on Monday.
Fox News also promoted the propaganda stunt as the top story on their website.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also held a press conference on Monday morning with Trump “border czar” Tom Homan to tout the purported successes of Trump’s anti-immigrant actions. During his remarks, Homan defended the administration’s decision to arrest Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan, who has been accused of obstructing the deportation of a Mexican immigrant.
“When you cross that line to impedement (sic) or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien from ICE you will be prosecuted, judge or not,” Homan said. Homan has previously argued that educating immigrants on their constitutional rights could be a crime.
Trump’s push on this issue, which has been a political strength for him in the past, is coming as opinion polls show a significant collapse in support for his presidency. Trump is specifically losing public confidence on immigration.
In a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll released on Friday, 53% of the public said they disapproved of Trump’s immigration actions. The same number of people oppose his actions in a poll from AP/NORC Center for Public Affairs that came out on the same day.
Trump is also in negative territory on immigration in Fox News’ poll (even though the network hid this from viewers), and in a poll from the New York Times/Siena College.
The reasons appear clear: Trump has stressed racism, cruelty, and disregard for the rule of law while executing his immigration agenda. For instance, on Saturday it was reported by the Washington Post that the administration deported three children under the age of eight—one was a four-year-old with Stage 4 cancer who was deported without medication or contact with their doctors, the family’s lawyer said—even though they are U.S. citizens.
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The administration has faced criticism from Congress and the public for the decision to deport Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador without due process. Trump is also under fire for abducting and detaining college students holding contrary opinions to the administration, while using immigration status for doing so.
The mugshot placards may trigger a few hours of temporary visibility on Trump’s pet cause, but they are unlikely to convince a majority of the public on an issue where he continues to fail.
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