Kristi Noem Used Imprisoned Men as Props in Fascist Propaganda Video
The Trump administration is sending any Latino man perceived to be a “gang member” to a brutal, hard labor prison in El Salvador—and sending Noem to use them as props for her TikToks.
Photo via X ImmigrationPolitics Kristi Noem
For the last two weeks, at the behest of President Trump, ICE agents have been detaining people almost indiscriminately, from green card holders at airports, to legal residents and students over their political speech protesting genocide. At the same time, the administration has also overseen a horrific project to ship anyone perceived to be a member of the Tren de Aragua gang to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador called the Terrosim Confinement Center. Known as CECOM, the facility is notorious for its brutal human rights abuses and hard labor requirements imposed on prisoners. Mother Jones and other outlets have reported that many of these men received no due process—they were merely singled out for being Latino and having tattoos, and were sent to CECOM without being convicted of any crimes.
In a particularly dark turn, on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stopped by CECOM to film a staged, glorified TikTok standing in front of an overcrowded cell filled with imprisoned men in varying states of undress. The imagery was appallingly racist, as Noem, a well-dressed, wealthy white woman, posed in front of imprisoned brown men denied basic civil rights and used as props. The imagery is pure, fascist propaganda.
“If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you can face,” Noem says in the video. “Know that this facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.”