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DHS spokesperson melts down on Twitter over airline protests

The Department of Homeland Security doesn't like brands tweeting.

 

David Covucci

Tech

Posted on Jun 20, 2018   Updated on May 21, 2021, 1:01 pm CDT

While President Donald Trump has declared an end to his family separation policy, the tension around what it all means has yet to subside. Meanwhile, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman is creating low-stakes drama of his own: He’s upset at three airlines for tweeting.

Today, United, American Airlines, and Frontier said that they would not like to participate in transporting kids who have been forcibly separated from their parents.

It was a modest bit of #brand #resistance.

Asking the government to not do that is, one would think, a legitimate request for a private company to make that probably has solid First (and Third!) Amendment footing. But the spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, who enforced the policy, didn’t take kindly to these statements and tweets.

Claiming airlines no longer want to protect the traveling public is flat-out wild coming from DHS press secretary. Also, it’s not clear how airlines flying detained, migrant children within the continental U.S. combats human trafficking. And these airlines only asked to not fly children being taken from their parents, not children being reunited with their parents.

Anyway, these airlines should have nuanced positions on immigration, he believes.

And there is never not a time for the Trump administration to evoke “fake news.”

And, you know, defensiveness.

One would hope a DHS official wouldn’t quit defending America over two airlines disagreeing with the administration’s policy.

But also, maybe he should?

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*First Published: Jun 20, 2018, 4:04 pm CDT