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 fromTelemundo."
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