A controversial Valentine's Day message has been shared by Donald Trump telling illegal immigrants they will be deported.
Throughout the US presidential campaign Trump continued to talk about stopping illegal immigration especially from Mexico and he has continued that line in office.
And now he has issued a Valentine's Day message on a similar line shared on the White House official Instagram account which critics see as in bad taste. It has a picture with Trump and 'border tsar' Tom Homan stating: "Roses are red violets are blue come illegally and we’ll deport you." There is also a comment from the White House saying: "Happy Valentine's Day."
There are many bemused comments which have been shared immediately with one person writing in disbelief: "Is this an actual white house official account?" Another said: "Why is the government becoming a meme page." A further person wrote: "I had to refresh twice to make sure this was real."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that more than 8,000 people had been arrested in immigration enforcement actions since Trump took office January 20. Some have been deported, others are being held in federal prisons and still others are to be held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
The bizarre Valentine's Day message is just one further example of Trump's unconventional government with the US appearing to be more divided than ever. Other replies to the card included one person saying: "Spreading hate on a day meant to be about love. great job." While another agreed: "My blood is boiling seeing this from the official White House account. Why create such displacement, houselessness, and hate. I’m so disappointed with this rhetoric/propaganda."
In the wake of 9/11 US President George Bush opened Guantanamo Bay for “illegal enemy combatants”, which will soon home migrants booted out the US Trump. The notorious prison, still houses 15 terror suspects - including the mastermind behind the attacks in September 2001. During his first term in the Oval Office, Trump reversed a Barack Obama administration order to keep Guantanamo open in 2018.
And now, mere weeks after once again gaining the presidency, Trump is set to send migrants from the US to the jail. It has been described as a “legal black hole” where prisoners are tortured and abused. Some of them will be housed in a small detention centre at the prison, while others will be kept in tents erected at the base by soldiers and marines. A minefield surrounds its outside perimeter.
The United Nations previously called the facility a “stain on the US Government’s commitment to the rule of law”, but continues to operate. More than 150 detainees were moved out of the camp under President Obama, who faced criticism for failing to fulfil his pledge to close it altogether.