MAGAReport 9/24/2024 - escalating violent anti-immigrant posts

The worrying escalation in shockingly violent anti-immigrant rhetoric continues

Immigration is a long-standing topic on the MAGA forums and in pro-Trump circles. It has been a hallmark of his campaigns, all the way back to “Build the Wall” in 2016. But we’re at a moment where the rhetoric is becoming markedly more violent than it has been.

In talking to Trump supporters at rallies, they tell me they are not anti-immigrant, they are just anti-illegal-immigrant. “As long as they come here the right way” is a common refrain. Yet they generally make no distinction about legal vs. illegal status in the stories they share. The posts I’m sharing today are silent on legal status, and in the Springfield, Ohio pets debacle, the immigrants are, in fact, here legally. (When I push Trump supporters on this, the most common reply I’ve heard is something like, “but are they really??” or “but they shouldn’t be because they manipulated the system.”) MAGA’s legal vs. illegal framing is already problematic, but it’s also dishonest. An examination of the dialogue clearly shows a general anti-immigrant sentiment.

The MAGA attitude toward immigrants, which was racist, dehumanizing, and xenophobic before, has been making a turn over the last few months. Trump has had success with his “border invasion” and “Mass Deportation Now” rhetoric, and his followers are picking that up and carrying it to it’s inevitable, violent conclusion.

Scientific American published an excellent piece about how the Trump mass deportation plan echoes concentration camp history. Historically in fascism, we have some pretty clear examples of times where anti-immigrant sentiment morphs from dislike to hate to violence. And in MAGA, we can see some examples today.

This screenshot of a since-deleted Twitter post was shared on one of the forums I monitor:

And here is the conversation about it on one of the MAGA boards:

• Nobody knows who they are, so nobody will miss them when they get buried in the desert. See how that works? -MemphisMontoya71

  • I'm actually surprised there isn't more of this going on. Who knows, maybe it is. -dr_gonzo

    • We have all seen the videos out of the 5th world. Flaying people alive, not for cartel punishment, but because they are bored on a Tuesday. Asking shitheads with no moral compass to turn down their music could be a death sentence. -UncleTedsWoodshop

      • For them, if you know how to defend yourself with the proper tools and know when and how to use them -Justlooking250

    • If done correctly, no one ever knows…. -Mungo

      • No one will EVER know if you don't tell anyone. -GallowsTime

  • I know where there is some lovely swamp land with some hungry crocos... In minecraft, of course.... (~_^) -WhoMeTwo [From Jen: this “in minecraft” phrasing is common across the extremist internet as a pre-emptive defense, so the poster can say “I didn’t mean that seriously! I was just referring to doing the terrible thing in a video game - it was all pretend!”]

  • Death Valley has that name for a reason. Hell, any part of the desert without water and you're dead in three days or less. -FrmrAmericanRepublic

• We gotta nuke the anchor babies. -HeavyMetalPatriot

• Rumor has it that the green tips will go through multiple walls. -Truthisunpopular

• To kill wicked people is the duty of the saints. And wickedness also falls in line with obnoxious and purposefully enacted rudeness. Free yourself and the land of these animals. -Beardholder

• An oil filter screwed to the barrel coupled with light loads is an option.
  -Freedomfromgovernment

I started writing this post in the morning and, as I finished it in the evening, I was sure these posts would have been removed by moderators because they are such clear and direct threats of violence. I was wrong. They are all still active and the first reply from MemphisMontoya71 has 71 upvotes and is the most popular response.

The MAGA community has never been a place friendly to immigrants, but this level of public advocacy for violence is something I haven’t seen. There are no plans to do anything; it’s just general, hypothetical support. Still, if I had a warning alert level, it would very high for physical attacks against immigrants. Given there is also an escalation in conspiracy theories around voting, and specific focus on non-citizen voting, I would not be surprised to see election-day violence against non-white people at the polls.

As always, I’m monitoring for specific threats. Right now, I don’t see any, but I’ll give you updates if I do.