Social media users have unearthed a 2016 CNN segment that highlights a massive shift in how the network covers ICE. The nearly decade-old report features reporter Pamela Brown embedded with agents during a series of raids in Chicago.
The 2016 segment, titled "A Day with ICE in the 'Sanctuary City' of Chicago," showed agents arresting undocumented felons. Brown informed viewers that removing these individuals made the community "safer" and was the agency's primary purpose.
The footage has gone viral as critics contrast the "positive" 2016 framing with the network’s current coverage. ICE has recently faced withering criticism following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Media Double Standards?
Conservative accounts, including X user @mazemoore, pointed out that CNN did not appear critical of the agency under the Obama administration. In the 2016 report, the network even used graphics to explain why ICE disagreed with sanctuary city laws.
"ICE says the county ordinance creates a danger to the community by releasing undocumented criminals," the 2016 on-screen graphic stated. This framing stands in stark contrast to recent reports where the network has highlighted "nuance" and criticized current DHS tactics.
NY Times columnist Ross Douthat noted the tone was "noteworthy" but also pointed out that agents acted and dressed differently back then. He suggested the optics of the agency have shifted alongside the political landscape in WASHINGTON.
The Minneapolis Fallout
The unearthing of the video comes as the Trump administration defends ICE against a wave of protests. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has accused CNN of "inciting violence" by promoting apps that track agents' locations.
The administration maintains that Renee Good was attempting to "ram" an officer with her vehicle before she was shot. Leavitt slammed the media for "changing the facts" of the Minneapolis incident to fit a negative narrative.
The DOJ is currently monitoring protests that have broken out across the country in response to the shooting. While celebrities wore "ICE OUT" pins at the GOLDEN GLOBES, the President has vowed to continue the "America First" enforcement surge.