As ICE Raids and Protests Expand, Now Is the Time to Prioritize Facts and Experts

LAS VEGAS – As ICE ramps up visible large-scale raids and requires more frequent check-ins for legal residents – part of a push to increase deportations – widespread condemnation and resistance of the Trump Administration’s actions are spreading beyond initial demonstrations in Los Angeles.

In the wake of protests in Las Vegas this week and with additional protests expected across Nevada, there is a heightened risk for confusion and the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation.

At a time like this, never has it been more important to highlight the nuances of protest situations, including:

• The differences between civilian policing and the use of military force to quell protests – especially as military training differs wildly from civilian law enforcement.

  
  

• The threat of deepfaked AI video, or the re-sharing of existing videos from previous protests being shared now without the proper context (including videos from different times or places).

  
  

• Remaining cautious and investigating unverified quotes or claims about “domestic terror” or organized violence – both labels often used by political actors to sow and capitalize upon confusion.

“As people from across Nevada and across the country make a stand against the brutality of the Trump Administration’s immigration policy, it’s imperative that facts and expertise take center stage,” said Shelbie Swartz, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress. “Social media, for all its good, has allowed for the fastest and most pervasive spread of mis- and dis-information in human history. Now, AI and its abuse by political actors can and will threaten to inflame tensions. In such an environment, newsrooms across Nevada remain key in showing and describing developments on the ground. As such, we’ve compiled a list of background and potential experts on three areas where we’ve identified widespread misleading content.”

Experts:

Local Legal Experts:

• West Juhl, Communications Director, ACLU of Nevada - juhl@aclunv.org

  
  

• Michael Kagan, UNLV Boyd School of Law Professor and Director of the UNLV Immigration Clinic - michael.kagan@unlv.edu

National Experts:

• Perry Carpenter, Cybersecurity Expert for KnowBe4 and 8th Layer Media - perry@8thLayerMedia.com

  
  

• Siwei Lyu, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at University at Buffalo - siweilyu@buffalo.edu, (716) 645-1587

  
  

• Riley McCabe, Associate Fellow, Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies - RMcCabe@csis.org

  
  

• Kristofer Goldsmith, founder & CEO at Task Force Butler, veteran-led nonprofit that studies domestic extremist movements - kristofer@tf-b.org | KristoferGoldsmith.com

Resources:

• Unpacking Trump’s Order Authorizing Domestic Deployment of the Military | Brennan Center for Justice

  
  

• From Kent State to Los Angeles, using armed forces to police civilians is a high-risk strategy

  
  

• Limiting the Military’s Role in Law Enforcement | Brennan Center for Justice

  
  

• U.S. Domestic Terrorism Is Increasingly Motivated by Partisan Politics | Lawfare

  
  

• The Rising Threat of Anti-Government Domestic Terrorism: What the Data Tells Us | CSIS.org

  
  

• The Age of Realtime Deepfake Fraud Is Here | 404 Media

  
  

• Tips for Detecting Real-time Deepfakes: A Guide to Staying One Step Ahead - KnowB4

  
  

• Background: Digital Forensics Techniques to Detect Deepfakes – University of Hawaii Forensics Weekly

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About Battle Born Progress: Battle Born Progress, through strategic communication efforts, empowers, engages and mobilizes Nevada voters to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed. We support, engage, and mobilize the progressive community through bold leadership, strategic communications, accountability, and education. We are on the cutting edge of new media and are the go-to source for progressive issues and advocacy for traditional media.