At a Rally in Michigan, Trump Showcases Video Lauding Migrant Deportations
During a late-night rally in Michigan, U.S. President Donald Trump showcased a video that glorified the deportation and overseas detention of migrants without due process, to the applause and chants of “USA” from his supporters.
The contentious video depicted migrants, handcuffed and forcibly removed from a bus, being processed at the infamous mega-prison in El Salvador, known as Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo. Here, migrants, including Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident deported under questionable circumstances, were shown having their heads shaved by guards wearing masks.
Trump, addressing the crowd, boasted about the swift and mass deportation of these individuals to the strict El Salvador facility. “We’re expediting mass deportations, and it’s happening at an incredibly fast rate. We are sending the absolute worst to a tough-as-nails prison in El Salvador,” he claimed, despite there being no proof that the deported migrants had any criminal affiliations or gang connections.
“Watch this. Take a look,” Trump urged as the video started, triggering a wave of cheers from the audience.
Dartmouth College political scientist Brendan Nyhan described the rally’s spectacle as “literal fascism.”
The video was part of a broader, aggressive public relations effort by the White House to promote its controversial and law-defying arrest and deportation strategy. This comes amid polling data indicating that a majority of Americans feel Trump’s actions against undocumented immigrants are excessive.
Yet, a CNN poll released Wednesday showed that only 10% of Trump supporters believe he has overstepped with his deportation tactics, while 27% think he hasn’t gone far enough, suggesting strong support for these measures among Trump’s base.
Trump, undeterred by criticism, declared at the rally, “We cannot let a few communist, radical-left judges block the enforcement of our laws and take over duties that rightfully belong to the president of the United States. Nothing will deter me from making America safe again.”
In an ABC interview that aired on the same day, Trump acknowledged his authority to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court. “If he were the gentleman you claim he is, I would do that. But he’s not,” Trump stated, incorrectly alleging that Abrego Garcia had MS-13 gang tattoos on his knuckles.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Trump insisted that a doctored image showing “M-S-1-3” over Abrego Garcia’s actual tattoos was genuine. When ABC’s Terry Moran pointed out the image was altered, Trump retorted, “You’re not being very nice.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who met Abrego Garcia in El Salvador and has been active in efforts to secure his release, criticized the White House in a letter to Trump. “It’s shameful and dangerous for you to assert without evidence that he is a gang member. You are committing severe violations of the Constitution and due process,” Van Hollen wrote.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported the percentage of Trump supporters who believe the president has not gone far enough with his deportation measures, according to CNN polling. The correct figure is 27%, not 63%.
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