Trump Forgets Caption In Dramatic Deportation Video Tweet, Retweets Adding ‘This Is Where We Send Our Killers’ Two Minutes Later

US President Donald Trump shared a video showing deportation operations involving military aircraft, detainees and security personnel on Wednesday, October 14, without an accompanying caption. Around half an hour later, he posted the same or a closely related video with a strong message linking the deportation of alleged criminals to falling crime rates in the United States.

In the subsequent post, Trump wrote: “THIS IS WHERE WE SEND OUR KILLERS, DRUG DEALERS & THUGS. THIS IS WHY MURDER AND OTHER CRIMES IN AMERICA ARE AT RECORD LOWS.”

The two posts drew attention to the administration’s deportation policy and its claims that removing people accused or convicted of serious crimes has contributed to declining crime rates across the country.

Trump Video Shows Detainees Escorted Onto Aircraft

The video shows military aircraft operations, lines of detainees being escorted towards transport planes, security personnel, buses at detention facilities and processing procedures, including haircuts.

The video appears to showcase the coordination between US immigration authorities and military aircraft in carrying out deportation operations. The Trump administration has promoted the use of military resources and expanded immigration enforcement as part of its efforts to remove people it describes as serious criminal offenders.

The video also resembles footage previously circulated by the administration to promote the transfer of deportees to El Salvador's high-security Terrorism Confinement Center, commonly known as CECOT.

Trump Links Deportations To Record-Low Crime Rates

In his caption, Trump claimed that deporting people he described as killers, drug dealers and thugs was responsible for the decline in murder and other crimes in the United States.

The President has repeatedly highlighted falling homicide figures while crediting his administration's immigration crackdown and law enforcement policies. His latest post reiterates that position amid continuing debate over the factors behind the country's declining crime rates.

However, the relationship between deportations and the nationwide decline in homicide has not been established as a direct cause-and-effect link.

Video Resembles Earlier CECOT Deportation Posts

According to reports by La Prensa Gráfica and El Salvador, Trump has previously shared similar video while promoting the transfer of deportees to El Salvador under an arrangement with President Nayib Bukele.

The agreement has been a prominent feature of the administration's immigration policy, with the US sending certain deportees to El Salvador for detention at CECOT. The administration has described those targeted as serious criminal offenders and gang affiliates.

The latest posts appear consistent with Trump's broader messaging on deportation, crime and his administration's partnership with El Salvador. However, the precise reason for the timing of Wednesday's posts has not been independently established.