Trump’s raids are made for TV

Every president oversees deportations of undocumented migrants. But President Trump is producing “deportation TV” – making sure people around the world can see his immigration policy in action.

Every president oversees deportations of undocumented migrants. But President Donald Trump is producing “deportation TV” – making sure people around the world can see his immigration policy in action. The administration’s immigration sweeps have a made-for-TV feel, as Trump-aligned media outlets have been allowed to ride along with law enforcement agents in recent days. The actions have a made-for-the-internet feel, too, as officials share photos on social media of deportation flights and border deployments. On Tuesday morning, for example, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted videos and photos on X from an enforcement operation in the Bronx. Speaking like a newscaster, Noem said that she was “live this AM from NYC.” In a matter of minutes, Noem’s videos were the top story on Fox News, the main pro-Trump network in the country. “President Trump is, of course, a television producer,” CNN’s Abby Phillip said on Monday’s “NewsNight,” and this is “a story he wants the entire American public to watch: ICE agents in cities near you, outfitted with military-style equipment, detaining migrants that the Trump administration labels as dangerous.” Trump administration officials say the X posts and TV programs are, in part, meant to deter people from coming to the United States. The highly publicized actions are also about proving Trump is following through on campaign promises. Last week, Fox correspondent Bill Melugin was given what the network called “exclusive access” to an ICE patrol in Boston. Melugin’s report showed federal agents arresting a combative man who said, “I’m not going back to Haiti! You feel me?”