WASHINGTON, DC — The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged that it is working with social media companies to address what it calls “lies, smears and AI deepfakes” surrounding President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. A DHS spokesperson said the agency is deploying additional resources to confront misleading content online and confirmed that discussions with major platforms are ongoing.
The development marks a notable reversal from Trump’s first presidential campaign and from Republican criticisms leveled at the Biden administration. For years, GOP leaders condemned federal engagement with platforms about COVID-19 misinformation, alleging that the government’s involvement crossed into censorship. Yet the COVID-19 era demonstrated that widespread misinformation was real and had tangible public health consequences, prompting social media companies to adopt more assertive moderation measures as false claims proliferated.
Today’s landscape differs sharply: critics argue that the Trump administration is not merely seeking to limit misinformation but is actively framing dissenting views of its immigration policies as dangerous falsehoods. Recent removals of online content tracking Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, as well as the shutdown of groups sharing information about ICE agents, came after direct complaints from federal officials. While some removals may have violated platform rules, civil liberties advocates warn that the administration is promoting unverified or misleading claims as authoritative while simultaneously pressuring platforms to silence opposing perspectives.
The underlying concern is the growing use of “jawboning,” in which government officials lean on private companies to moderate speech without issuing formal directives. Because these conversations typically occur out of public view, it is impossible to assess whether the government is making lawful requests or attempting to control online debate.
Advocates for transparency argue that all government communications with online platforms should be logged and publicly accessible. They contend that without such disclosure, any administration—regardless of party—will be tempted to shape online speech to its political advantage.
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