Activism is never an easy or even an easily manageable subject. That’s because it typically arises to address those issues that are left out of the authorities’ scope and agenda. And activism around illegal immigration, one of the hot-button topics in the United States, is no different.
Therefore it should be no surprise that a social media giant prone to free speech missteps, that Facebook has proven itself to be these last years, is having trouble dealing uncontroversially with this particular matter.
The latest example is Facebook’s decision to remove posts from the personal page of Mary Ann Mendoza, a woman whose son, a police officer, was killed by a drunk-driving illegal immigrant back in 2014.
Breitbart writes about this, to note that while the likes of United We Dream, a pro-open borders group funded by billionaire George Soros, are receiving donations via their Facebook pages – Angel Families, set up by Mendoza to support people whose loved ones perished at the hands of illegal immigrants, is prevented from receiving funding via the platform.
Since the deadly incident that claimed the life of her 32-year-old son, Mendoza has been a prominent activist highlighting this type of crime – focusing on how perpetrators often slip through the cracks of the legal system, because their status means they are not subject to it. She has also been a supporter of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
Earlier this summer, Mendoza had to remove several posts addressing this problem from Twitter to be able to continue using the platform – saying that the giant was “protected by antitrust laws” that at the same time “strip her of her freedom of speech.” The posts that Twitter found objectionable enough to suspend Mendoza’s account were addressed at Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy, challenging his pro-immigration stance.
It’s now Facebook’s turn to go after the woman, once again, for alleged hate speech. The posts that were blocked referenced the phenomenon of serious crimes committed by illegal immigrants, linked to Reuters and Breitbart articles – and criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her policy on the issue of illegal immigration, accusing the Democrat, who was visiting Central America, for showing “concern and compassion for people of every country but her own.”
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