Media Headlines Pretend Deported Violent Gang Members Are Just ‘Migrants’ In Search Of A Better Life
On Sunday, the Trump administration deported 238 suspected members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang who were in the United States illegally. While there are many ways to describe these individuals — “illegal immigrants,” “suspected Tren de Aragua members,” or even “gang members” — the propaganda press largely chose to purposely label them “immigrants.” This isn’t an accident. It’s part of a broader, left-wing strategy to blur the lines and mislead the public.
The Associated Press’ Nicholas Riccardi and Regina Garcia Cano wrote: “Trump administration deports hundreds of immigrants even as a judge orders their removals to be stopped.” Riccardi and Garcia Cano spent much of the story referring to these dangerous illegal immigrants as simply “immigrants,” not even bothering to qualify them with the term “illegal.”
“The immigrants were taken to the notorious CECOT facility” where there are “limits on basic rights,” the Bobbsey twins reported.
The New York Times’ Devlin Barrett, Annie Correal and William K. Rashbaum wrote: “The Trump administration denied on Sunday that it had violated a court order by deporting hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a prison in El Salvador over the weekend…” It took the reporters five paragraphs to note these men were identified by the Trump administration as members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang. Notably, Tren de Aragua is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
PBS News’ Marcos Aleman, along with the AP, did an exposé on the El Salvador prison “where Trump sent hundreds of immigrants.”
“The crown jewel of El Salvador’s aggressive anti-crime strategy — a mega-prison where visitation, recreation and education are not allowed — became the latest tool in U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration on Sunday, when hundreds of immigrants facing deportation were transferred there,” Aleman wrote.
The word “immigrant” was not passively chosen as a descriptor. It’s used to muddy the waters between law-abiding legal citizens and those who enter the country illegally (and may even be a gang member). The goal? To create a false equivalence, making it appear like Trump’s policies are targeting all immigrants, legal or not, to serve the propaganda press’ anti-Trump agenda.
This is just the latest in a long history of the left using dishonest language to shape a narrative.
Take the term “gender-affirming care” — a euphemism for dangerous, Frankenstein-like procedures on vulnerable persons. When outlets use it, they’re sanitizing what’s really happening: healthy body parts are being cleaved off children (and adults) who are struggling with mental health issues.
“Gender-affirming care” sounds neutral, even compassionate — as actual care does — but it’s a carefully crafter term meant to obscure the dangerous truth about these life-altering, and sometimes irreversible, procedures.
Then there’s the left’s use of the word “protests” to describe acts of violence and vandalism. Lest we forget the iconic CNN banner, “Fiery but mostly peaceful protest.” WHAT. Or the recent attacks on Tesla dealerships and charging stations that are being describes as “protests.”
MSNBC’s Clarissa-Jan Lim wants readers to think that “Republicans are trying to sic federal law enforcement on Elon Musk’s critics” because “Tesla dealerships have faced protests.” Lim links an an article from CBS News headlined “Tesla vehicles in Chicago vandalized in protest of Elon Musk’s role in White House” to “protest.”
Such usage of the term “protest” to describe violent attacks on private property is meant to both legitimize the protests, downplay violence and push a narrative that Republicans and Trump are trying to silence free speech. The left wants the public to believe that attacking and vandalizing private property is just another form of protected political expression — an excuse for their radical base to act violently while using the First Amendment as a shield.
The manipulation of language is a deliberate strategy to mislead the public and push a dishonest agenda. Whether it’s referring to illegal immigrants and violent illegal immigrants as simply “immigrants,” sanitizing harmful procedures with euphemisms like “gender-affirming care,” or framing violence as “protests,” the left and their media allies are waging a war on truth. The propaganda press’ use of dishonest terminology is not just misleading — it’s a tool to manipulate public opinion.
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2
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