A steady stream of clips from right-wing influencers, including Nick Sortor and Cam Higby, has been flooding Minneapolis since the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by a masked federal agent. The content aims to paint Minneapolis as a lawless city and portrays ICE agents like Jonathan Ross, who was involved in Good's killing, as acting in self-defense.
These influencers have focused their efforts on how protesters allegedly use personal vehicles and block traffic to hinder ICE operations. In one video, Kevin Posobiec highlighted how protesters seem to be manipulating traffic in downtown Minneapolis by wearing hi-vis safety vests while blocking the road.
The clips are then reposted by right-wing aggregation accounts like End Wokeness and others, including Matt Walsh from the Daily Wire, reaching millions of followers across social media platforms, sometimes even making it to cable television channels.
According to a Monday interview with Fox News, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claims that Ross followed his training and was in fear for his life. However, this narrative is eerily similar to what's coming out of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Right-wing influencers started arriving in Minneapolis after a YouTube video by Nick Shirley went viral last December, claiming to uncover a $100 million fraud scheme involving Somali childcare centers. This video garnered significant attention on social media and led to prominent figures like Elon Musk reposting clips from it.
The Trump administration's surge of agents to Minnesota is partly attributed to Shirley's video. Last month, The Washington Post reported that ICE plans to spend around $100 million to recruit deportation officers through content creators and geo-targeted ads across the internet.
This raises concerns about the increasing role of right-wing influencers in shaping public opinion and justifying government actions on immigration.
These influencers have focused their efforts on how protesters allegedly use personal vehicles and block traffic to hinder ICE operations. In one video, Kevin Posobiec highlighted how protesters seem to be manipulating traffic in downtown Minneapolis by wearing hi-vis safety vests while blocking the road.
The clips are then reposted by right-wing aggregation accounts like End Wokeness and others, including Matt Walsh from the Daily Wire, reaching millions of followers across social media platforms, sometimes even making it to cable television channels.
According to a Monday interview with Fox News, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claims that Ross followed his training and was in fear for his life. However, this narrative is eerily similar to what's coming out of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Right-wing influencers started arriving in Minneapolis after a YouTube video by Nick Shirley went viral last December, claiming to uncover a $100 million fraud scheme involving Somali childcare centers. This video garnered significant attention on social media and led to prominent figures like Elon Musk reposting clips from it.
The Trump administration's surge of agents to Minnesota is partly attributed to Shirley's video. Last month, The Washington Post reported that ICE plans to spend around $100 million to recruit deportation officers through content creators and geo-targeted ads across the internet.
This raises concerns about the increasing role of right-wing influencers in shaping public opinion and justifying government actions on immigration.