Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson. (Status/Screen grab)
Benny Johnson, the one-time conservative journalist turned MAGA propagandist, stood outside Florida’s new migrant detention center in the Everglades on Tuesday morning with a grin. Filming a selfie-style video from the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz,” Johnson boasted about the “Jurassic Park” qualities of the facility, hyping the tall walls adorned with razor wire, the sheer number of mosquitoes, and—of course—the danger lurking in the swamp outside: “You go in and you don’t come out. And if you do, the alligators get you.”
“Not a fun place,” Johnson added, seemingly delighted.
Johnson wasn’t alone. Throughout the day, MAGA Media hyped Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new detention center, relishing in teasing how dreadful the place would be for migrants. Donald Trump even got in on the action. He confirmed the idea behind the location is that if a migrant tries to escape, they will have to run through snake-and-gator-infested marsh. Trump even joked it would teach immigrants to run a certain way from the reptiles.
A lot of Tuesday's theatrics was a show for the cameras. When Trump began sending immigrants to Guantánamo Bay, Fox News host Laura Ingraham was brought along for the spectacle. This time, MAGA influencers like Johnson and others were invited to help create viral content, ensuring the message was broadcast to millions of Trump supporters: We’re not just deporting immigrants; we’re making it as cruel as possible.
Because cruelty is, after all, the point.
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