{"id":16696,"date":"2026-01-29T00:18:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T00:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=16696"},"modified":"2026-01-29T00:18:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T00:18:32","slug":"ice-dehumanizes-same-immigrants-woody-guthrie-defended","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=16696","title":{"rendered":"ICE Dehumanizes Same Immigrants Woody Guthrie Defended"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"has-underline\">Folk legend Woody<\/span> Guthrie was so angered by the dehumanizing language used to describe Mexican immigrants in 1948 that he wrote a song about it. Telling the story of dozens of Mexican workers killed during a deportation flight crash, Guthrie called the tune \u201cDeportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Artists from Pete Seeger to Bruce Springsteen to Dolly Parton have covered Guthrie\u2019s song, which has been hailed as a timeless ode to the humanity of society\u2019s most marginalized.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wasn\u2019t listening.<\/p>\n<p>In a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/icegov\/posts\/pfbid0i5FdndEYB6ERXqduTueiNFQZ6c7DC3PtJpdKt2T19p81pQUrKacu2B7YKUFsesKBl\"> social media post <\/a>on Wednesday, ICE honored the deportation officer killed in the January 28, 1948, crash while describing the unnamed passengers as \u201cillegal Mexican aliens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ficegov%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0i5FdndEYB6ERXqduTueiNFQZ6c7DC3PtJpdKt2T19p81pQUrKacu2B7YKUFsesKBl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"481\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Whether intentionally or not, the post drew a backlash from commenters who pointed out the language used to describe plane crash victims on the 78th anniversary of their death. It\u2019s the latest social media imbroglio for ICE, or its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, which seems to court controversy with posts that echo the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2026\/01\/13\/dhs-ice-white-nationalist-neo-nazi\/\">language of white nationalists.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post about the crash anniversary may have been subtler. Still, it is a virtual repeat of the attitude toward immigrant laborers that so upset Guthrie decades ago, according to Tim Z. Hernandez, the author of two books about the famous plane crash.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cTrue to form of this administration, they are pulling from old rhetoric as a way to justify what they\u2019re doing today.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTrue to form of this administration, they are pulling from old rhetoric as a way to justify what they\u2019re doing today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Words like \u201calien\u201d and \u201cillegal,\u201d Hernandez said, are \u201conly meant to further strip the humanity of the people they\u2019re targeting, because then it\u2019s easier to justify when you\u2019re not talking about human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The flight that ended in a fiery crash took the life of Frank Chaffin, the deportation officer, along with 28 passengers being deported and three crew members. An Associated Press story at the time named Chaffin and the crew members <a href=\"https:\/\/timesmachine.nytimes.com\/timesmachine\/1948\/01\/29\/96414081.html?pageNumber=5\">but not the immigrant passengers.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The wire service reported that some of the people being deported had crossed the border illegally, while other had stayed past the duration of work contracts.<\/p>\n<p>Guthrie responded to the omission of the deportees\u2019 names in the AP story with his song, in which he imagined some of their stories.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGoodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita \/ Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria \/ You won\u2019t have your names when you ride the big airplane \/ All they will call you will be \u2018deportees,\u2019\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BLOCK(newsletter)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22NEWSLETTER%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%7D) --><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-embed flex-col items-center print:hidden\" id=\"third-party--article-mid\" data-module=\"InlineNewsletter\" data-module-source=\"web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\">\n<div class=\"-mx-5 sm:-mx-10 p-5 sm:px-10 xl:-ml-5 lg:mr-0 xl:px-5 bg-accentLight hidden\" data-name=\"subscribed\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-light uppercase text-[30px] leading-8 text-white tracking-[0.01em] mb-0\">\n      We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. Join us.    <\/h2>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=508887&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2026%2F01%2F28%2Fwoody-guthrie-deportee-plane-ice%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"border border-white !text-white font-mono uppercase p-5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 hover:bg-white hover:!text-accentLight focus:bg-white focus:!text-accentLight\" data-name=\"donateCTA\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n      Become a member      <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<div class=\"group default w-full px-5 hidden\" data-name=\"unsubscribed\">\n<div class=\"px-5 border-[10px] border-accentLight\">\n<div class=\"bg-white -my-2.5 relative block px-4 md:px-5\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-body text-[30px] font-bold tracking-[0.01em] leading-8 mb-0 xl:text-[37px] xl:leading-[39px]\">\n          <span class=\"group-[.subscribed]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Join Our Newsletter          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Thank You For Joining!          <\/span><br \/>\n        <\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-[27px] mb-3.5 font-bold text-accentLight tracking-[0.01em] leading-[29px] font-sans xl:text-[37px] xl:leading-[39px]\">\n          <span class=\"group-[.subscribed]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you.          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Will you take the next step to support our independent journalism by becoming a member of The Intercept?          <\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=508887&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2026%2F01%2F28%2Fwoody-guthrie-deportee-plane-ice%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"group-[.default]:hidden border border-accentLight text-accentLight font-sans px-5 py-3.5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 text-[20px] font-bold\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n          Become a member          <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-sans text-accentLight text-[10px] leading-[13px] text-balance [&amp;_a]:text-accentLight [&amp;_a]:font-bold [&amp;_a:hover]:underline group-[.subscribed]:hidden\">\n<p>By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/terms-use\/\">Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(newsletter)[0] --><\/p>\n<p>The immigrant victims languished in obscurity for decades until Hernandez unearthed their identities. Scouring old archives and cemetery records, he has been able to piece together much of the manifest.<\/p>\n<p>In 2013, he helped <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kvpr.org\/community\/2013-09-03\/new-memorial-gives-deportees-their-names\">unveil a memorial <\/a>for the previously unnamed victims at a mass grave in a Catholic cemetery in Fresno, California. Two years ago, another marker was placed at the<a href=\"https:\/\/southkernsol.org\/2024\/09\/30\/marker-unveiled-at-1948-plane-crash-site-that-killed-28-mexican-passengers\/\"> site of the crash<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Descendents of the victims and locals who witnessed the crash gather annually at the crash site on the anniversary to pay tribute, according to Hernandez.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-ft-photo is-style-default\">\n    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2197496765.jpg?fit=2000%2C1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2197496765.jpg?w=2000 2000w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2197496765.jpg?w=300 300w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2197496765.jpg?w=768 768w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2197496765.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2197496765.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2197496765.jpg?w=540 540w, https:\/\/theintercept.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2197496765.jpg?w=1000 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)\" alt=\"A memorial marker with the names of the 32 people who died in a 1948 airplane crash at Los Gatos Canyon was unveiled on Sept. 28, 2024, near Coalinga, California. (Juan Esparza Loera\/The Fresno Bee\/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption class=\"photo__figcaption\">\n      <span class=\"photo__caption\">A memorial marker with the names of the 32 people who died in a 1948 airplane crash at Los Gatos Canyon was unveiled on Sept. 28, 2024, near Coalinga, Calif.<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"photo__credit\">Photo: Juan Esparza Loera\/The Fresno Bee\/Tribune News Service via Getty Images<\/span>    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hernandez took special care to include the stories of Chaffin and the crew members in his book, believing that none of their stories should be erased. He said he was saddened but not surprised to see the ICE social media post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if we disagree on how to protect the border, or the whole immigration process, even if we disagree on the logistics, what we should be able to come to an agreement on is that each of us are human beings and worthy of dignity,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I see that dehumanization, that intentional kind of language, it makes me sad, because it\u2019s people who fail to see other people as humans.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>#ICE #Dehumanizes #Immigrants #Woody #Guthrie #Defended<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Folk legend Woody Guthrie was &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[246],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16696"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}