A slow-motion video of masked, camouflaged federal agents handcuffing and detaining people in Los Angeles. A noir-style reel of people burning cars and American flags, edited as if it were a trailer for a dystopian movie. A photo of soldiers holding assault rifles, standing guard as federal agents handcuff a man.

As President Trump has deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines in response to protests against immigration enforcement in California, his administration has also unleashed a parallel visual campaign intended to make clear it will not tolerate resistance to its aggressive goal of mass deportations.

Since demonstrations first erupted last week in response to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Los Angeles’s garment district, the federal government’s official media accounts have pumped out photos and videos, some originally shared by right-wing influencers, highlighting the arrests of migrants and showcasing U.S. military might.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is among those who have championed the crackdown, posting a photo of a line of National Guard soldiers staring down a masked demonstrator.

Images shared by government officials have been amplified across the conservative media ecosystem, creating a cascade of digital messaging casting the immigration standoff as a fight to defend the United States against an invasion.