Latest news with #ProgressActionFund
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
This ad hits a nerve because it's true
A new ad from the Progress Action Fund dramatizes a nightmare too many still face: masked ICE agents drag away a young woman mid-date. 'She looks like one of them,' says a fictional congressman, before declaring she's being sent to prison in El Salvador. Her date shouts after them: 'She was born here. She's a citizen.' The video, which has blown up across social media, isn't subtle, but it doesn't have to be. It taps into a very real climate where immigration status is judged on sight, not fact. And while some critics dismiss it as over-the-top fearmongering, the truth is harder to ignore: U.S. citizens are being wrongfully detained by ICE. This isn't hyperbole. It's already happened — and more than once. In April, Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a 20-year-old American born in Georgia, was arrested in Florida. Despite providing a birth certificate and multiple forms of ID, he was held for days because local authorities flagged him to ICE who insisted he 'matched a profile.' In January, Chicago community organizers allege that up to 22 people — some legal residents, others full citizens — were wrongfully swept up in workplace ICE raids earlier this summer. And in a now-infamous case from over a decade ago, Davino Watson, a U.S. citizen from New York, spent over three years in ICE custody. The government later admitted it had detained the wrong person. These aren't isolated incidents. They're symptoms of an enforcement system that increasingly prioritizes suspicion over status, and optics over due process. The Progress Action Fund video doesn't just dramatize fear. It weaponizes a reality many Americans already live with. ICE has wrongfully detained U.S. citizens, and social media continues to blur the line between 'undocumented' and 'unwelcome.' What we're seeing isn't just enforcement — it's escalation. Citizenship no longer guarantees protection when people believe Americanness has a look, a sound, or a skin tone. In that climate, all it takes is a uniform and a wrong assumption to disappear someone, legally or not. And if that doesn't terrify us more than a political ad, it should.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
This ad hits a nerve because it's true
A new ad from the Progress Action Fund dramatizes a nightmare too many still face: masked ICE agents drag away a young woman mid-date. 'She looks like one of them,' says a fictional congressman, before declaring she's being sent to prison in El Salvador. Her date shouts after them: 'She was born here. She's a citizen.' The video, which has blown up across social media, isn't subtle, but it doesn't have to be. It taps into a very real climate where immigration status is judged on sight, not fact. And while some critics dismiss it as over-the-top fearmongering, the truth is harder to ignore: U.S. citizens are being wrongfully detained by ICE. This isn't hyperbole. It's already happened — and more than once. In April, Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a 20-year-old American born in Georgia, was arrested in Florida. Despite providing a birth certificate and multiple forms of ID, he was held for days because local authorities flagged him to ICE who insisted he 'matched a profile.' In January, Chicago community organizers allege that up to 22 people — some legal residents, others full citizens — were wrongfully swept up in workplace ICE raids earlier this summer. And in a now-infamous case from over a decade ago, Davino Watson, a U.S. citizen from New York, spent over three years in ICE custody. The government later admitted it had detained the wrong person. These aren't isolated incidents. They're symptoms of an enforcement system that increasingly prioritizes suspicion over status, and optics over due process. The Progress Action Fund video doesn't just dramatize fear. It weaponizes a reality many Americans already live with. ICE has wrongfully detained U.S. citizens, and social media continues to blur the line between 'undocumented' and 'unwelcome.' What we're seeing isn't just enforcement — it's escalation. Citizenship no longer guarantees protection when people believe Americanness has a look, a sound, or a skin tone. In that climate, all it takes is a uniform and a wrong assumption to disappear someone, legally or not. And if that doesn't terrify us more than a political ad, it should.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Republicans Kidnap Latina Girlfriend in New Democratic Ad
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A pro-Democrat PAC has released an ad showing a fictional Republican lawmaker and masked men kidnapping an American citizen while on a date with her boyfriend. Newsweek reached out to the Progress Action Fund via email for comment. The Context The Progress Action Fund, a group targeting Republicans in swing districts that published similar ads during the 2024 election, frequently portrays a generic "Republican congressman" interfering with actors' personal lives in an attempt to reach new audiences. The group was founded by former Obama administration staffers, and its ads received over 500 million views across swing states in the 2024 presidential election. What To Know The latest ad, released on Wednesday, features a white man and a Latina woman on a date. Masked men grab the screaming woman as a Republican congressman tells her boyfriend that "she's coming with us." He says that they're taking her to a prison in El Salvador. When the man protests that "she was born here, she's a citizen," the lawmaker replies, "I don't care, she looks like one of them." The ad closes with a quote from President Donald Trump, which reads: "The homegrowns are next." The quote was from a conversation Trump had with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele in April about the possibility of jailing U.S. citizens. Democrats are really running "Trump is coming for your Latina gfs" ads lmao — Armand Domalewski (@ArmandDoma) June 18, 2025 "We were inspired to create this ad because despite saying he would only target violent criminals, Trump and ICE are rounding up everyday people and American citizens," Joe Jacobson, the founder and executive director of Progress Action Fund, told Newsweek. "ICE even deported a 4-year old citizen with cancer and detained a 9-months pregnant woman who was also a citizen. Only 10 percent of the roundups are actually of violent criminals, and we need to take a stand against this blatant racial profiling so Trump does not become even more emboldened to tear apart our communities." The video, which was written, shot, produced and published within a month, caught the attention of the White House, which told Fox News that the ad was a waste of money. "It would be more efficient for Democrats to just light their money on fire instead of spending it fear-mongering with a silly ad no one takes seriously. This is clearly just a sad attempt to distract from the violent Democrat rioters in LA who want to keep criminal illegal aliens in American communities," Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said. A screenshot from a new political advertisement from the Progress Action Fund. A screenshot from a new political advertisement from the Progress Action Fund. Progress Action Fund What People Are Saying Joe Jacobson, the founder and executive director of Progress Action Fund, told Newsweek: "The goal is to show people what's going on because most people don't know how frequently and widespread these disgusting deportations are. "This is especially true of young men, who we are targeting because both my deputy and I are 31 years old and uniquely understand this demographic. This group is absolutely critical to reach, given they swung to Trump by 30 points last cycle. The only way to win them back is to produce extremely creative and provocative content because they will not engage with politics unless they absolutely have to. "Young men and all voters need to understand that Trump isn't just coming for violent criminals who are here illegally: he's coming for citizens and he's coming for you." What Happens Next The Progress Action Fund had said it plans to produce similar videos in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Democrat posts ad showing non-white citizens being kidnapped by Republicans
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Jump to content Sign up to our newslettersSubscribe: 1€ for 6 months News Sport Voices Culture Lifestyle IndyBest Deals Travel 00:35 A Democrat lawmaker posted a disturbing ad depicting a non-white citizen being kidnapped by Republicans, captioned, 'Trump's America.' California Rep. Eric Swalwell posted the ad, made by Progress Action Fund, to X on Wednesday (18 June). The video shows a white man and a non-white woman talking outside before the woman is suddenly grabbed by masked men meant to resemble ICE agents. The man demands answers, and is confronted by a lawmaker who says, 'I'm your Republican Congressman. Now that we're in charge, we're rounding up illegals.' When the man angrily responds that the woman was born in the US, the lawmaker replies, 'I don't care, she looks like one of them.' The Republican then promises that the woman will have 'lots of company' in the El Salvador prison she's going to. The ad closes with a purported quote of Donald Trump's from an April 14 visit with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele: 'The homegrowns are next.' 00:46 00:55 00:59 00:24 12:25 17:05 03:25 07:30 07:35 10:44 07:06 07:42 14:11 12:18 30:24 16:08 17:41 18:22 13:43 12:41 05:35 08:02 06:42 05:23 07:08 05:03 09:53 07:25 07:30 07:54 05:23 05:35 09:47 06:28 06:23 07:35 08:03 11:54 08:21 06:38 07:25 04:31 07:30 03:34 17:05 03:51 04:18 06:26 04:30 03:35 03:45 07:34 02:03 03:22 02:15 02:22 02:21 01:43 01:42 01:45 10:44 03:44 07:42 09:22 06:11 07:50 06:21 02:19 10:42 06:27 07:23 06:35 More Behind The Headlines 12:18 11:50 09:03 13:07 00:43 01:02 00:49 00:34 00:36 00:39 00:57 00:34 00:49 00:33 01:00 00:31 00:54 01:08 01:35 00:47 00:37 00:21 00:41 00:34 00:57 00:32 00:47 01:40 01:01 01:03 00:41 00:23 00:38 00:24 00:19 00:50 03:29 03:07 03:07 03:24 01:36 00:42 01:26 00:32 00:31 02:00 00:40 00:58 04:23 04:26 01:01 01:07 15:55 16:33 16:06 15:01 15:16 01:16 00:36 00:48 01:08 More Saudi Green Initiative 01:12 01:23 01:24 Live Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrat group betting on anti-ICE fear in new campaign ad targeting young men
FIRST ON FOX: A fundraising group dedicated to helping Democrats flip Republican seats is releasing a dark new advertisement it hopes will help the left win over young men ahead of the 2026 races. The Progress Action Fund has gained attention for its risqué viral ads featuring a fictional "Republican congressman" who invades private moments in bedrooms, bathrooms and hospitals to enforce so-called conservative policies, such as stopping sex, abortion or denying care to Medicare patients. The new clip features a couple on a date, comprised of a White male with blonde hair, while the woman has darker skin and black hair. "I had a really good time today," the man says in the video. The woman begins to respond, "I did too," before they are both forcefully restrained by masked agents, and the woman is dragged away. A voice says off-screen as the couple is being dragged apart, "She's coming with us." "What are you talking about? Who are you?" the man yells. Then, an older White man with white hair steps onto the screen, "I'm your Republican congressman. Now that we're in charge, we're rounding up illegals." The man yells as the woman continues to shriek, "She was born here, she's a citizen." "I don't care. She looks like one of them," the "Republican congressman" responds. "But don't worry, when she's in prison in El Salvador, she'll have lots of company." The ad ends with a reference to President Donald Trump speaking to El Salvadorian President Nayyib Bukele at the White House earlier this year, suggesting he was open to sending "homegrown" criminals to the foreign country's prisons alongside non-American deportees. Joe Jacobson, an Obama administration alumnus who founded and runs Progress Action Fund, told Fox News Digital that his PAC's testing shows the ad will be potent with young men. "We found that after seeing the ad, young men – you know, I'm 31 and our target demo is to win back young men in 2026 after they flipped to Trump by 30 points – and what we found is that it moves the needle for Democrats, making young men under 30 support Democrats and view them favorably, by about four points," Jacobson said in an interview. "And that's not that's not easy, given the Democratic Party hasn't found a message for young men, and reaching them and engaging them." Republicans and the White House dismissed the ad as "fear-mongering." Democrats have been wrestling to find a cohesive message to voters after the 2024 election – particularly young men, who narrowly went to Trump after former President Joe Biden won the demographic in 2020. However, Jacobson said ads that set tones line Progress Action Fund's latest clip would be potent. "If you're a young man, and you're dating or looking for a girlfriend, the last thing you want is for, you know, secret police, ICE agents coming in and taking away your girlfriend that's an American citizen just because she looks a Latino person or whoever the ICE officials are racially profiling," Jacobson said. He pointed out that immigration has been a key issue for Republican platforms for years – and said this time, Democrats would seize that momentum given Trump's harsh policies. "This has always been an issue, and Donald Trump has weaponized immigration even more. And, you know, he has some mandate. He told people that he wanted to deport criminals who are breaking the law, violent criminals, who are immigrants, and people are down for that. Democrats are down for that, too," Jacobson said. "But he does not have a mandate for deporting people who are, you know, working at hotels, on farms or auto shops." It comes amid protests across multiple Democratic cities against Trump's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdown. However, immigration and border security proved potent issues for Republicans across the country in 2024, as cities beyond the U.S.-Mexico border felt strain that the GOP has blamed on Biden administration border policies. It forced top Democratic officials to pivot toward more conservative stances on illegal immigrant criminals and illegal immigration in general. However, the Progressive Action Fund is betting on Trump's response benefiting the left ahead of the 2026 midterms. Jacobson said his group's investment in the ad was in the "mid-six-figure range" and that it would hit social media first, before getting more targeted placement in swing states and districts. Both the National Republican Congressional Committee and the White House panned the ad when reached for comment. "Democrats have completely lost the plot if they think a creepy, incoherent ad like this is going to win over young voters. Not a single person is falling for this pathetic, fear-mongering nonsense," NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital, "It would be more efficient for Democrats to just light their money on fire instead of spending it fear-mongering with a silly ad no one takes seriously. This is clearly just a sad attempt to distract from the violent Democrat rioters in LA who want to keep criminal illegal aliens in American communities."
