Immigration advocacy groups are strongly criticizing the Biden administration for sharing videos of families boarding deportation flights to promote its repatriation efforts of foreign nationals.
A coalition of 11 groups issued a statement on Friday, urging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to cease the distribution of this footage, which was sent to media outlets as “B-roll for removal flights,” and called on the outlets to refrain from using it.
The release, led by the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), stated, “The use of this footage is shocking and dehumanizing, and ICE should immediately discontinue it. These frames fail to capture the complexity of the human stories behind each family, including the love, devotion, and courage that led these families to leave their homes in search of safety, as well as the trauma of being forced back into danger. The blurred faces, militarized surroundings, and police pat downs of parents desperately holding onto their children dehumanizes these families and portrays them as threats.”
When contacted for comment, The Hill reached out to ICE.
In the Biden administration’s approach to immigration policy, the distribution of these videos serves as a deterrent to dissuade migrants from coming to the United States and to counter Republican criticism regarding border conditions.
Tom Cartwright, an advocate with Witness at the Border, one of the groups that signed the appeal, expressed concern, stating, “These are people who have often fled to the United States for safety, and now we are essentially dehumanizing them to make a point about our immigration policies. This is something I would have expected from the previous administration, not the current one.”
Meanwhile, Republicans are unlikely to ease their criticism of the administration, and advocates argue that deterrence measures have proven to be ineffective.
“The U.S. government has been attempting to discourage migration to the United States using the deterrence framework since at least 1994, but continues to ignore the fact that there is no evidence suggesting that it has ever worked,” explained Heidi Altman, director of policy at NIJC.
While U.S. border policies have gradually become more stringent, migration flows over the past three decades have correlated more with economic and political conditions in specific countries throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Altman stated, “If the administration knows, as they must, that this theory of deterrence doesn’t work, then it becomes clear that this is a political approach.”
Advocates are particularly angered by ICE’s decision to publicly promote its tough enforcement actions, especially in light of violent attacks like the 2019 El Paso mass shooting, where a gunman expressing xenophobic intent killed 23 people.
Altman highlighted, “It has been evident for some time now that the political discourse surrounding immigration is increasingly xenophobic and includes dehumanizing references and images. What we have been waiting for is new leadership to present a different framework that recognizes the humanity of those seeking asylum in the United States and acknowledges their right to do so at the southern border.”
Advocates also expressed outrage over the specific content of the videos, likening them to controversial “perp walks” employed by the police in criminal cases.
Cartwright remarked, “The fact that these are not criminal cases, and many law enforcement agencies now avoid conducting these perp walks because they can be seen as exploitation, is concerning.”
The concept of the “perp walk” has long been debated in major police departments due to concerns that it may unjustly contribute to negative public perceptions of detainees.
Cartwright added, “Personally, I cannot recall the last time I saw a perp walk in a law enforcement situation.”
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