In recent weeks, the Trump administration swiftly attempted to justify the shootings of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Prettiby claiming they were carrying out acts of domestic terrorism in the moments before they were killed. They made these claims without waiting for investigations to unfold, and in spite of conflicting video evidence and witness accounts.

As Martinez’s case and others demonstrate, these statements are part of a much broader, months-long communication pattern by the administration on immigration related issues.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly made unproven or incorrect claims when describing immigrants targeted for deportation, U.S. citizens arrested while protesting the administration’s immigration crackdown and people who simply drove through areas where an immigration enforcement operation was going on.

On social media, the administration has accused people of violently attacking federal immigration agents or impeding operations. In many instances, criminal charges were quietly dropped or never filed.