With the current federal government shutdown, James Woods posted a screen shot from a video called “Latinos Vs. Trump’s Racist Rednecks” (by DepartRacism.com). The video was originally posted by the YouTube channel Depart Racism on 21 September 2016. There is no way the people making this could have foreseen the shutdown or that DACA would become an issue because the presidential election had not been decided.

The video is actually about how the concept of deporting all Latinos, is ridiculous for several reasons. Areas of the USA were once Mexico and these people didn’t cross the border, the border changed (“The border crossed us”). The second point is that two out of three Latinos were born in the USA. The third point is Latinos with darker skin color have greater claim to being in the USA because it is evidence of their mestizo (mixed) blood. These people are part European (Spanish or Portuguese or other European) and Native American. In that respect, if anyone should leave, it should be the “racist rednecks” whose ancestors are supposedly totally white and from Europe.

James Woods, however, uses a screenshot of a man with a “Make America México Again” who his flipping the viewer off (supposedly Trump or his racist

rednecks”) and holding the sign “Deport This.”  Woods writes simply, “This is why the government is shut down–Thank you. #Democrats.  The comments clearly show that his followers think this photo refers to illegals or DACA. The photo comes at 0:50 out of a 1:55 video. You’ve missed out on the setup.

The slogan, “Make America Mexico Again,” was originally on a hat as part of satire according to a NBC News. The article, dated 4 May 2016 (just before Cinco de Mayo), is in an interview with Chicano civil rights activist, Jeronimo Saldaña, who thought Trump’s slogan was illogical. The Brooklyn-based man said that while he doesn’t want to actually “Make America Mexico Again,” he sees absurdity in Trump’s “hateful” rhetoric because “Trump’s slogan refers to a time when people of color didn’t have any rights and when LGBTQ folks were even more discriminated against than they are now.” According to Saldaña, Anna Gold thought up the slogan and made a hat. Saldaña also had one made, tweeted about it and set up a GoFundMe campaign that raised $14,126, well above the $25 goal, with the money going to the Latino and Chicano advocacy network, Mijente.

James Woods has taken this image out of context and used it to inflame anger without actually writing much about it. Nor does he attempt to correct the opinions, if he is aware at all from where the image came.

As a result, his followers assume that the person in the photo is illegal and  relate it to DACA.