Leaked memo details ICE media strategy to counter citizen activist groups

By Stephen C. Webster
Thursday, April 29, 2010 19:38 EST
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Call this a crash course in how federal agencies use the press to advance their own advocacy.

A memo leaked from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is has immigration reform activist groups up in arms, calling the government’s plans to argue on behalf of its programs “unbelievable” and an “an aggressive strategy for spin and deception.”

The document details how the agency was to respond amid a host of planned protests against the so-called “Secure Communities” program. It reveals that ICE targeted major media in eight cities where activists planned their rallies, securing space in publications like The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Maimi Herald, The Washington Examiner and others.

“On the day of the launch, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton placed opinion-editorials in Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; and Morristown, New Jersey—all sites of the campaign,” noted Uncover the Truth, a joint advocacy campaign set up by the Center for Constitutional Rights, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and other non-governmental groups.

Additionally, it explains that the agency “will arrange for [Assistant Secretary] Morton to be interviewed by Julia Preston from The New York Times, Suzanne Gamboa from the Associated Press, Antonieta Cádiz from La Opinion and possibly Lori Montenegro from Telemundo.”

“ICE’s unbelievable offensive against activists organizing for truth and accountability must be challenged,” CCR attorney Sunita Patel said in a media advisory. “Rather than sticking to the promise of transparency, the Obama administration is hiding behind misinformation and attacking civil society. The quest for answers is even more compelling and begs the question: what is ICE hiding?”

RELATED: GOP candidate’s ‘microchip an illegal’ comment draws outrage

Hoping to obtain answers to just that question, the campaign has filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for data related to the “Security Communities” program, which the agency says leverages technology to track down and capture what it calls “criminal aliens.”

In his editorial, Morton opened with a tale of a California man who’d left Bible study, only to be run down by an illegal immigrant driving while intoxicated.

“Since beginning the program in October 2008, ICE has deployed the fingerprint technology to more than 165 jurisdictions across 20 states,” he wrote. “We deploy to more places every week. As a result, we have removed more than 33,000 aliens convicted of crimes — aliens who may have otherwise been released back onto our streets and into our neighborhoods.

“As ICE expands this program nationwide, we meet regularly with local law enforcement agencies, national and local nongovernmental organizations, media and others to ensure the public understands that ICE is using this race-neutral program to identify and remove criminal aliens, thereby relieving the burden on state and local governments.”

Morton was nominated to serve as ICE assistant secretary by President Obama on Feb. 23, 2009.

A large part of the “Secure Communities” program is federal coordination of local law enforcement. The leaked memo apparently reveals this coordination even applies to “messaging,” as it claims ICE would reach out to encourage press officers to speak with the media, going so far as to offer sound bytes and talking points.

“It is deeply disturbing that ICE responded to our simple request for truth and accountability with an aggressive strategy for spin and deception,” countered Sarahi Uribe, an organizer with Uncover the Truth. “At a time when its clear that the federal government’s irresponsibility gave rise to the crisis in Arizona, rights groups now feel under attack for demanding basic answers from our government.”

RELATED: ‘Deep concerns’: Napolitano testifies Arizona immigration law will be reviewed

It was revealed in Dec. 2009 that ICE maintains a network of unlisted immigrant detention centers across the United States, calling them “subfield offices,” where they hold an unknown number of people. The Nation magazine placed the number of “subfield offices” at 186, noting that the facilities have no beds or showers, are not subject to ICE Detention Standards and most are located “in suburban office parks or commercial spaces revealing no information about their ICE tenants”.

At least 100 immigrant prisoners have died while in ICE custody, according to documents obtained by The New York Times and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The following document is an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo detailing the agency’s media strategy to counter activist citizen groups.

ICE Media Strategy

Stephen C. Webster
Stephen C. Webster
Stephen C. Webster is the senior editor of Raw Story, and is based out of Austin, Texas. He previously worked as the associate editor of The Lone Star Iconoclast in Crawford, Texas, where he covered state politics and the peace movement’s resurgence at the start of the Iraq war. Webster has also contributed to publications such as True/Slant, Austin Monthly, The Dallas Business Journal, The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Weekly, The News Connection and others. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenCWebster.
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  • anon

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  • freepepegonzales

    ICE has its problems, but “activists organizing for truth and accountability” is over the top as well. They lie morning, noon and night about illegal alien issues so this is more like the pot calling the kettle black.

  • freepepegonzales

    ICE has its problems, but “activists organizing for truth and accountability” is over the top as well. They lie morning, noon and night about illegal alien issues so this is more like the pot calling the kettle black.

  • freepepegonzales

    ICE has its problems, but “activists organizing for truth and accountability” is over the top as well. They lie morning, noon and night about illegal alien issues so this is more like the pot calling the kettle black.

  • WhodaThunkit

    Obama = Bu$h 44?

  • NoOneYouKnow

    ICE=KGB; “detention centers”=the American gulags. How long before they come for you and I?

  • steelerhawk47

    War is Peace
    Freedom is Slavery
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    George Orwell

  • kiboshki

    One jackbooted step closer to a national police….

  • Jhoffa_

    Go ICE!

  • vince j

    Obama… so much CHANGE… So much freedom!!!

  • robertskaplanmd

    Why do you post ads over news items making them impoossible to read?????????? I go to Raw Story to read the news, not to be frustrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.infowars.com jack

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  • AtlanticCapers

    I'm the biggest transparency advocate around, but I don't see anything particularly newsworthy or even unusual here. Anybody care to explain?

  • http://rawstory.com kjo

    Yet another reason to avoid the MSM. Its all just spin and hype.

  • texasaggie

    Another reason to feel betrayed. I wish Obama would show at least some idea of what it means to be progressive.

  • mrcoldheart

    I don't think ICE planting stories represents the MSM and I'm pretty sure you mean just the news you don't watch.

  • dushan29

    According to the article, this program began under the Bush administration as they reference in one of the paragraphs that begins, “Since its inception in October 2008……….”

    I'm glad to know that the worst kinds of criminals are being taken off the streets of America, and I see nothing wrong with this policy at all.

  • http://www.compellingconversations.com Eric the sceptic

    Perhaps ICE should just focus on actually enforcing federal laws, securing the border, and deporting criminal – as in violent, felony criminal – illegal immigrants. Some worksite crackdowns, especially in industries where cheap illegal workers have replaced high-paying union jobs, might be a good idea too.

    And for my deluded progressive friends who believe that lawlessness is the path to some global utopia, may I ask them to actually read some polls on the attitudes of American voters? Get real – and work for sensible, compromise solutions that help our nation become stronger, instead of undercutting the ability of our government to enforce its sovereignty. Further, if you are going to protest the Arizona law, at least have the decency and commonsense to make your case in English and evoke American icons and symbols like the statute of liberty.

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  • Prima

    So when native populations interbreed with infinite immigrant populations, the native genetics converge to that of the immigrant genes. And you consider such a migration to be deliberate, and therefore genetic genocide.

    Like when King Edward Longshanks says in Braveheart: “The problem with Ireland is that it’s full of Irish. Perhaps it’s time to re-institute an old custom. Grant them prima noctes, “First night.” If we can’t get them out, we’ll breed them out.”

    Is that correct?

  • Prima

    So when native populations interbreed with infinite immigrant populations, the native genetics converge to that of the immigrant genes. And you consider such a migration to be deliberate, and therefore genetic genocide.

    Like when King Edward Longshanks says in Braveheart: “The problem with Ireland is that it’s full of Irish. Perhaps it’s time to re-institute an old custom. Grant them prima noctes, “First night.” If we can’t get them out, we’ll breed them out.”

    Is that correct?

  • lizcodepinkarizona

    Deeply disturbing to know ICE is grandstanding on poor people's rights!
    ICE & ARPAIO = the same

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    It reveals that ICE targeted major media in eight cities where activists planned their rallies, securing space in publications .

  • bayside1

    Ice and the conservative dem or republican solution…………I expect some day we will all find out that . god did make all of us ,making us only different on the outside but the same on the inside and we are all praying , if you pray ,to the same god just under a different name.. God is probably saying to us. Knock it off down there..I love all of you..

  • OldAtlantic

    Immigration is genocide is a math theorem in population genetics, the Wright Island Model. This shows intentional genocide by Obama DHS. This is because Obama embodies genocide of whites in his own body under the Wright Island Model. Mixing causes the genocide it doesn't stop in a terminal mixed state, but a pure state with white genes gone.

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  • Boneman

    “In his editorial, Morton opened with a tale of a California man who'd left Bible study, only to be run down by an illegal immigrant driving while intoxicated.”

    Damn bible studies. We should outlaw them!

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    I am a social worker. A young child in my caseload was repeatedly raped by her father. ICE deported him before he could be charged and convicted. Because he was not charged or convicted, his family members believe that he is innocent — they reason that, if he were guilty, he would be in jail instead of just deported. Consequently, the victim will go through her life with her family believing that she was lying and she is crazy. It is an injustice to victims everywhere, here and in the country of origin of the criminals, to deport them and turn them loose to offend in their birth countries without having to suffer any consequences for their crimes.

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  • hurlyburly

    Tastes like FRENCH fries.

    I wish everyone would stop and consider how this ICE document is relevant to all of the news we consume, including the stuff we read here. The depth and scope of these propaganda plans would amaze most people.
    The recent wikileaks leak on how our CIA managed the news to promote the Afghanistan occupation (fully supported by rawstory) was a wake up call.
    This ICE plan shows how government and media work hand in glove to manipulate people.

    As for the brave patriot who leaked this memo………….Obama will probably sick his dirty DOJ lawyers on him and throw the book at him. It is what he did last week to a similar honest brave American who blew the whistle on illegal government wiretaps.
    http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0415/obamas-justice…

    The Obama troll brigade will just blame Palin or teabaggers and ask that we all look away, as usual.

    PS You have lots of great comments here vince j. Nice work.

  • realnews

    Hmm… lets see “secretively maintained detention facilities all over the United States.”

    Why the need to keep the locations of these detention centers a secret?

    “At least 100 immigrant prisoners have died while in ICE custody”
    I
    Why hand over documents to the ACLU about 100 prisoners dying while in ICE custody but yet claim to have never received any complaints? The ACLU is investigating for a reason.

  • realnews

    I forgot to mention that ICE claims to have detained over 18K people but only deported 4K.

    Why keep them detained for so long? If they are guilty of a crime charge and sentance them or deport them. Its like GITMO all over again. This time its on American soil or should I say under American soil.

  • Unlegendary

    If nobody gets it I'll make an attempt here..
    This is NOT Obama per se nor Bush..It's the PIC, Prison Industrial Complex run amuck while the citizenry is lulled into a daze and they now have the ability to capture anyone at will and never have to answer to anyone, not even the president.
    Their big, nasty barbed wire complexes ran into a wall getting scrutinized and they had to actually answer so they decided to go underground and this is NOT about immigration.. It's about me, you and anyone else unlucky enough to get run over by the PIC wheels.. WATCH OUT!

  • Benway for the Nova Police

    How's life at the bottom of that landfill, Jimmy?

  • Benway for the Nova Police

    You mean this isn't related to the army of network military advisers placed by the Pentagon on every major news show in the lead up to the Iraq invasion? Who'd a thunk?

  • Benway for the Nova Police

    …and continued by the Obama administration.

    Other than the technicality of being undocumented, what “criminals” are you talking about?

  • Benway for the Nova Police

    This has all the elements of an urban legend.

  • dushan29

    In my city in California, one has to look only at the court dockets outside of every courtroom to see who the criminals are and you don't find many Anglo names amongst all the rest which are virtually all Hispanic. It's a disgrace.

    Hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens are now locked up in Federal and State prisons, let alone county jails around the country. Visit some of these places for yourself. Where the hell have you been living…on some other planet?

  • Anonymous

    girlywirly, like the Republicans weren’t/aren’t doing the exact same thing.

    Only someone with limited intellect would think there is a scintilla of difference between these two “parties.”

    I’m sure you’ll wish to reconsider your obviously limited perusal and analysis of this article. Maybe you just skimmed over it.

    Perhaps on reflection you may find they are the exact same, only one is covert fascist, the other overt.

    But both fascist.

    I do however get a chuckle at your portrayal of “Obama’s dirty DOJ lawyers”, like Bush didn’t appoint most of them. Like they weren’t investigated and outed as Rove’s political attack dogs. Thanks for the laugh.

  • Anonymous

    Maybe “god” made you.

    I descend come from hominids that sailed the seas over 200,000-300,000 years ago, and left tools on the island of Flores in Indonesia, and on Crete, BEFORE “Adam” (homo sapien sapien that evolved from hominids) came along, captain.

    “god” may speak to you, maybe he can set up a conference call with George W. Bush and you. God told him to invade and MURDER MILLIONS.

  • Terrible

    Once upon a time in America…. it was a very serious crime for US government agencies to engage in domestic propaganda.

  • Terrible

    Take the time to research prosecution and sentencing inequalities in America. When you have racist teabagging activist judges that throw out airtight violent crime cases against whites so they can get onto the cases they prefer of some Hispanic kid caught smoking a joint it kind of tilts the stats just a bit.

  • farang

    Now you know who the ones are labeling folks “conspiracy nuts, tin foil hatters, extremists, and fringe”: Cass Sunstein clones.

    What? When that creep scumbag Sunstein came out and stated the federal government “should” infiltrate opposition groups, he meant they ARE infiltrating opposition groups, and was simply practicing CYA.

    Or didn't you figure that out then?

  • farang

    “Once upon a time”….a very good opening line of a fairytale, Terrible.

    Growing up in Arlington, Va., my mother was employed at the Pentagon in the 1950's, in the “P.R.” office.

    WTF do you think THAT was, Mother Goose?

    It was an illusion of freedom and “difference” from “other countries less free” we all believed….but an illusion nonetheless.

  • farang

    “Damn bible studies. We should outlaw them!”

    From your lips to god's ear.

  • farang

    Yeah, we should have shot John Paul Jones on site when he slipped in from Scotland.

    Who knew his kind would drag us into limited intellectual discussion, eh OA?

    My family has been in this land since 1680, and we sure didn't like those damn Blue Nose Fundie Christians booted out of Great Britain landing in New England and fouling our wonderful new land.

    Your relatives?

  • DaveO

    Learn to proofread.

  • Atilla

    Propaganda here? In the land of the sheep and the home of the slave? Tell me it isn't so. Not in the Banana Republic of America!…. It's time to scrape the scum off the top of the gene pool.

  • hurlyburly

    You sound like the kind of farang that gives farangs a bad name.
    I probably have more comments in my profile trashing the two party system and saying Republicans and Democrats are the SAME. Ya know, same same but different?

    Nice of you to spend more time crafting a perfectly written assault on a fellow commenter who is trying to equate Obama with Bush. You did a really really really good job…….probably would have taken you less than half the time to read a few comments and see that I agree on the two party scam. Now, go slow, but do go, GFY.

  • http://the-classic-liberal.com/right-wing-links-may-1-2010/ Right-Wing Links (May 1, 2010)

    [...] Leaked memo details ICE media strategy to counter citizen activist groups [...]

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