The Harmful Fallout of Disinformation on Veterans and the Military

When the current administration first deployed troops to L.A. I wrote about the potential harm! Over the past few weeks, viral social media posts have circulated with alarming claims: masked soldiers are allegedly participating in ICE raids, disappearing community members in Los Angeles. The imagery is potent, military-style uniforms, tactical vehicles, and speculation about martial law. But the truth is much more complicated, and the damage, particularly to the military and veteran community, is real.

Let’s be clear: ICE does not operate under the Department of Defense. The individuals seen in tactical gear are likely federal agents from agencies like Homeland Security Investigations, or hired law enforcement agents from other states, and possibly even private contracted companies, whose uniforms and tactics can closely resemble those of military personnel. Unfortunately, when law enforcement agencies deploy in militarized fashion, it blurs the line between policing and defense, triggering confusion and mistrust.

But the real harm comes when public perception turns these blurry lines into definitive, and false, narratives. Suggesting that active-duty military personnel are conducting domestic raids violates deeply held principles of American democracy, including the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the use of federal troops in domestic law enforcement. This erosion of public trust in the military doesn’t just harm institutional credibility; it harms veterans.

Veterans return home already struggling with identity, transition, and integration. They often live with the burden of how they are perceived: as broken, as dangerous, or as government tools. When disinformation paints them as enforcers of political oppression or violators of civil rights, it reinforces damaging stereotypes. Veterans who live and work in these same communities become targets of suspicion instead of trust.

Additionally, these rumors feed into a dangerous narrative that militarization is the answer to civil problems. That mindset is not only inaccurate, but it also undermines the many veterans actively working in public service, education, healthcare, and community advocacy, including immigrant rights, not to mention that many veterans are immigrants themselves.

Let’s not allow sensationalism to erase the work of those veterans who stand for justice and democracy, often because of, not in spite of, their service.

If you see these claims circulating, take a breath. Ask questions. Demand credible sources. Recognize the difference between a uniform and a mission. And most importantly, resist the urge to turn a complex, systemic issue into an easy scapegoat, especially when that scapegoat is made up of the very people who took an oath to defend our rights, our part of our community, and will be returning home to our communities upon completion of their service.