White House posts altered arrest photo to make it appear ICE critic was sobbing

In a startling move, the Trump administration shared a digitally manipulated image of Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer from Minnesota, following her arrest during a protest at a church linked to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem initially posted what appeared to be the original image of Armstrong being escorted away by law enforcement. However, just thirty minutes later, the official White House account on X (formerly Twitter) released an altered version of the photo that depicted Armstrong with tears, suggesting distress. Derrick Johnson, the NAACP President, criticized the manipulation, asserting that it misrepresented Armstrong's demeanor during the incident, stating she was “poised, determined, and unafraid.” Observers quickly pointed out that the image had been digitally altered to portray Armstrong as emotionally distressed, contrasting with the original photo shared by Noem. White House Deputy Communications Director Kaelan Dorr responded to the backlash, defending the post despite the criticism surrounding the image modification. Dorr remarked, “Enforcement of the law will continue. The memes will continue. Thank you for your attention to this matter.” The White House's version of events labeled Levy Armstrong a "far-left agitator" alleged to have incited unrest in Minnesota churches. In contrast, a press release from the Department of Homeland Security featured the unaltered image shared by Noem. Armstrong's attorney, Jordan Kushner, expressed outrage over the White House's actions, stating, “It is just so outrageous that the White House would make up stories about someone to try and discredit them.” Kushner affirmed that Armstrong was calm throughout the incident and indicated that video evidence captured by her husband would soon disprove the claims made by the White House.