CNN Runs Pro-Trump ICE Ad Weeks After Reporting On Mysterious Group Paying For It

CNN has been running an ad promoting President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, weeks after airing a report on a billboard by the group behind it.

For about a week now, an ad from the group “American Sovereignty” has been in heavy rotation on CNN — and nowhere else. The commercial pitches the agency — which has been under fire after several killings amid the deportation crackdown — as “keeping America safe” and makes claims attacking sanctuary policies:

They want us to forget that for years they let dangerous criminals into our country.

They want to us forget their names and who took them from us.

They want give dangerous illegal immigrants sanctuary, defying federal laws, causing chaos and putting our safety at risk.

Enough is enough.

We must let Immigration and Customs Enforcement do its job, removing dangerous criminals from our neighborhoods and keeping America safe.

A recent report found that fewer than 14 percent of deportees in Trump’s first year in office had violent criminal records. At least 3 U.S. citizens were killed as a result of ICE operations.

The ad has run almost 50 times in the past week. While other spots by the group have run on other outlets, this ad has only aired on CNN. According to the network:

Ads on CNN are reviewed and managed by our parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. We do not take any positions on limiting or refusing ads based on the arguments they are making. We do however review ads to ensure they are factually accurate. The ad that you are referring to was reviewed and it met Commercial Clearance Guidelines.

To their point, CNN also aired an anti-ICE ad that Fox News refused to put on, featuring podcaster Joe Rogan referencing “the Gestapo.”

A few weeks before this ad began playing, CNN aired a report from an affiliate station about an American Sovereignty billboard in which the reporter said they reached out but could get no information on the group:

REPORTER: A new digital billboard at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco is evoking mixed reactions.

RESIDENT: It made me sick to my stomach.

REPORTER: It’s an ad that shows support for ice.

RESIDENT: They have a job to do too, that’s it, you know, I don’t have a problem with them.

REPORTER: The billboard reads, “Defensive player of the year: ICE.”

A group that calls itself American Sovereignty is behind the billboard.

We tried to reach out to them to learn more about their motivation, but have not been able to reach anyone.

One expert, Professor of Government Stephen Medvic, speculated about the mysterious group when their Super Bowl campaign was rolling out:

“We don’t know who’s behind it, but they’re clearly trying to bolster ICE’s image as an agency,” Medvic said. “It may be in the mold of the former Department of Defense ads for recruiting purposes, putting the armed forces in a positive light to attract recruits. But it’s really a reaction to public opinion turning against ICE, and that’s pretty unique in and of itself.”

CNN did not share any further information about the group. Mediaite reached out to American Sovereignty but did not receive a response.

Watch above via CNN and American Sovereignty.

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