It wasn’t surprising to learn that there was more to the story of the 5-year-old detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis last week than met the eye. The heartrending picture of the frightened boy in his winter hat being led into a dark vehicle by a masked officer sparked a visceral response. But as it happened, the boy was alone in a vehicle because his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot upon seeing the officers. And when the officer attempted to return the boy to his home, his mother and whomever else was inside refused to open the door. Only then was he led by the hand to the vehicle.

Predictably, the evocative image went viral on social media, along with false context spread by liberal journalists that the child was being used as “bait” for the parents. No evidence has surfaced to contradict DHS‘s version of events, not that it matters to President Donald Trump‘s opponents in the press. The young boy’s terrified face made for a perfect propaganda tool, and they wielded it with glee behind crocodile tears.

The incident was a flashing red warning for an agency that is losing the war for hearts and minds. Images matter, in this media........

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