Trump Administration Orders ICE to Produce Propaganda Videos of Migrant Arrests, Leaked Chats Reveal

Internal communications obtained by The Washington Post have revealed that President Donald Trump’s administration has instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to “flood the airwaves” with dramatic videos showing migrants being chased, shackled, and mocked—regardless of whether the footage accurately portrays actual events.

The investigation, published Tuesday, details how ICE’s communications unit has transformed into what sources describe as an “influencer-style” propaganda operation during Trump’s second term. The agency now produces sensationalized raid videos at a frantic pace to satisfy White House demands, even when the visuals misrepresent what happens during enforcement operations.

During one enforcement blitz in Los Angeles, ICE’s social media presence exploded from just three posts earlier in the day to 38 posts within an 11-hour period. The content focused heavily on mug shots and dramatic footage of “illegal aliens” being apprehended and detained.

According to the leaked messages, an overworked public affairs team has been pressured to prioritize spectacle over accuracy at the direction of political appointees. While some officials expressed horror at the new approach, others appeared to embrace it enthusiastically.

Staff members were reportedly instructed to label arrestees as the “Worst of the Worst” even when they had no criminal records. Instead, they were told to search for something “newsworthy” such as an “egregious immigration history” to justify the dramatic framing.

In one particularly revealing exchange, ICE’s assistant director for public affairs, Emily Covington, asked if a deportation-flight video from Texas could be re-edited to remove footage showing “tons of females” at the White House’s request. A producer replied that they would comply by removing women from the B-roll footage.

One official candidly admitted that footage was discarded if “the truth of the operation” did not align with the administration’s messaging. This approach has raised serious ethical concerns among some staff members and legal professionals.

When reached for comment, Covington defended the agency’s practices, stating, “Under the prior administration, this team was told that they couldn’t say or post anything, likely because millions of illegal aliens were streaming into this country.” She added, “Under President Trump, ICE is finally allowed to do its job. Of course we are going to be transparent and show the American public what the men and women of this agency do each day.”

The investigation also uncovered multiple instances where ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) used copyrighted music and imagery without permission. When employees raised concerns about potential copyright violations, their warnings were dismissed—reportedly with the backing of White House lawyers.

At least five government videos have been removed from social media platform X following complaints from representatives of comedian Theo Von, the band MGMT, rappers Jay-Z, Joey Valence, and Chamillionaire, as well as rights holders for a Pokémon-style cartoon that appropriated the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” slogan.

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin defended the practice, telling the Post that the White House had given ICE and DHS “autonomy to create content that is effectively reaching the American public,” and insisted that lawyers had approved posts containing copyrighted material.

The new approach to social media has placed ICE’s visual communications staff in increasingly hazardous situations. When professional producers were unavailable, public affairs officers were sent to capture footage of raids and courthouse arrests using their phones, functioning as what one DHS official called a “footage force multiplier.”

These impromptu assignments have led to injuries and dangerous situations. One public affairs specialist required emergency treatment for a bloodied hand after being hit by a rock outside a California marijuana farm. Another complained about being sent to volatile scenes wearing only a T-shirt while agents around them wore body armor. ICE has since stated it now provides communications staff with protective gear.

As content production increased, some staff members expressed discomfort with the messaging’s aggressive tone. ICE’s X account posted footage of a bound protester in Portland being wheeled face down on a cart, set to lyrics from the song “Ridin’.” DHS’s main account referred to Illinois demonstrators as “imbecilic morons” and shared a Halloween montage of mug shots with the warning that there would be “no sanctuary for creatures & criminals of the night.”

“They just went nuts. It was no limit. It was like if someone from Reddit took over,” a former DHS producer told The Post.

Federal prosecutors have reportedly expressed concerns that the inflammatory posts could potentially taint jury pools or lead to allegations of bias in legal proceedings. McLaughlin responded that she was unaware of such concerns and suggested that lawyers with issues should address them directly with her rather than speaking to journalists.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson blamed the previous administration for the criticism, claiming that “career DHS bureaucrats are complaining to the media about finally having to do their jobs.” She added that the Trump administration was “working at breakneck speed” to “keep our promises, deport criminal illegal aliens, and get information out to the public…no matter what the Washington Post or disgruntled employees try to say.”