Activist José Antonio Vargas tweeted a staged photo of children in cages Monday, alleging that they were detained by the government and subjected to inhumane conditions.
Vargas, a journalist and founder of a pro-immigration non-profit, told his followers that the child in the picture was locked in a cage as the result of “a government” that “believes people are ‘illegal.'”
This is what happens when a government believes people are “illegal.”
Kids in cages. pic.twitter.com/OAnvr9cl3P— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) June 12, 2018
Vargas then informed his followers that he was looking for the sources of the photo he posted, tweeting, “Still trying to find a source for this photo. Saw it on a FB friend’s timeline but looking for confirmation. Has anyone seen it elsewhere?”
Still trying to find a source for this photo. Saw it on a FB friend’s timeline but looking for confirmation. Has anyone seen it elsewhere?
— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) June 12, 2018
Without knowing where the photo was from, he still attributed it as a direct result of President Trump’s immigration stance and policy.
Another reporter, Kaz Weida, tweeted back to Vargas explaining that the photo was, in fact, staged during a protest that took place earlier this month. The tweet has since been deleted, but Weida did send another trying to stop the misrepresentation of the photo.
If you see this photo, be warned it’s from a protest in Texas on June 10th.
It is not a child at an actual detention center.
We’ve got old photos circulating that undermine credibility as we battle this immigration policy.
Let’s not add fuel to the fire.https://t.co/GVHCCunTlD pic.twitter.com/zKhDQETpIW— Kaz Weida (@kazweida) June 12, 2018
Vargas immigrated to America when he was 12. Years later, after finding out he was brought into the country illegally, the journalist-turned-activist chose to continue to hide his immigration status.
Vargas founded Define America in 2011, a non-profit dedicated to “[using] the power of story to transcend politics and shift the conversation about immigrants.”