Immigration raids are being carried out by law enforcement, not civilians. Don't fall for conspiracy theories.
As the immigration crackdown intensifies, a new conspiracy theory asserts it's actually far-right paramilitary groups behind it. This isn't true.
Over the last couple of months, a conspiracy theory has been brewing in the primordial slop that is social media comment sections. BlueAnon, a group of terminally online centrists, have been saying the countless videos of masked immigration enforcement officers are secretly right-wing paramilitary groups that have either been deputized by DHS or are masquerading as them.
To be clear upfront — while they may not always be ICE specifically — these disappearances are being perpetrated by law enforcement officers, not by anybody else. There is ample evidence to back this up, primarily in the form of agency heads screaming at the top of their lungs they're going after migrants full bore. Yet, regardless of the countless videos and articles disproving this very fake and not real conspiracy theory, these people continue to spread baseless rumours because it fits into their worldview about what law enforcement and their government actually is.
While they have accurately assessed that these immigration raids are evil, their failure to believe the things unfolding before their eyes betrays the necessity of the moment. Instead, it gives even more power to the law enforcement agencies kidnapping people because it spreads unnecessary panic and disinformation that can impede people from acting to defend their communities. If you are going up against an enemy you believe to be something it's not, you will be less effective – which is why it’s important to have accurate information about who you're up against.
