White House officials said they were pleased that the Defense Department has cooperated fully in providing the administration with video content documenting the border deployment and the deportation flights. (According to the Defense Department, its videos are produced by career military public affairs officers, some of who also have experience filming for news organizations.)
“The White House communications team is in constant contact” with the Pentagon, Ms. Leavitt said this week.
It remains unclear what the Marines will be doing at the border as part of the deployment given the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which puts limits on the activities of the military on U.S. soil. Mr. Trump and his aides have talked about invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to allow the military greater freedom to act, but so far they have not done so.
During Mr. Trump’s first term, active-duty military members largely played a supporting role at the border, not directly confronting migrants attempting to cross the border. Critics of the president said this week that the current effort seems more like a photo op than a serious way to increase security at the border.
One Marine officer, who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the primary role for the military in the early days of its time at the border is to weld concertina wire into engineering stakes that could then be attached to the border wall, in the hopes of providing some additional deterrence.
Corey Price, the former head of the officers who handle deportations at ICE, said the videos and media were clearly intended to send a message.
“My thoughts are that they are highlighting ICE and their important mission to ensure the public knows what they are doing and also get ahead of any accusations that ultimately get made against ICE during their enforcement operations,” Mr. Price said.
The message appears to have been received, at least in some online communities.
In response to the Trump administration’s public relations push, Selena Gomez, the singer and actress with 65.5 million followers on the social media site X, posted a 30-second clip of herself sobbing about the treatment of what she called “my people” at the hands of government immigration agents.
The backlash to her video from Mr. Trump’s supporters was swift, accusing her of having not expressed the same level of concern for the victims of murders or rapes committed by illegal immigrants who had been convicted of the crimes. Within hours, she had taken down her video.
And the administration’s efforts to publicize its efforts have continued. Wednesday evening, Mr. Miller reposted video of Border Patrol agents marching a line of handcuffed immigrants back into Mexico across the Hidalgo bridge from McAllen, Texas.
Ben Laffin contributed video research and Jonathan Swan contributed reporting.
