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The Department of Homeland Security may not have released any government-issued photos of toddlers in detention yet, but DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen had to listen to their distraught cries Friday morning as the leaked audio of them streamed in through the windows of her Alexandria townhouse.
Nielsen was believed to be home, likely still getting ready for work, as a dozen-plus protesters organized by CREDO Action gathered out front at 7:30 AM wielding signs emblazoned with slogans like "Child Snatcher" and a speaker to amplify the anguish of the newly separated children in U.S. custody. (The wrenching audio was originally obtained by ProPublica.)
In a separate video, Nielsen is seen leaving her house through the back door later that morning as protesters chant "Shame!" and "You belong in the Hague!" referring to the U.N.’s International Criminal Court.
Nielsen and other Trump administration officials better get used to a lot more disruptions coming their way. White House aide Stephen Miller, for instance, a chief architect of Trump's most racist, anti-immigrant policies, got heckled Sunday by a fellow diner at a D.C. Mexican eatery who called him a "fascist." That was reportedly two nights before Sec. Nielsen's Mexican dinner was cut short by about a dozen protesters.
"When you attack Trump, it only seems to strengthen him," Amanda Werner explained to Daily Kos after helping to organize the spontaneous action against Nielsen at MXDC. "But when you go after people who work for him, it can have a much more direct effect." Werner plans to help organize more actions in the coming weeks.
The benefits of protesting administration officials and White House aides is that many of them aren't actually politicians, they're bureaucrats and therefore often don't have much experience with the sometimes searing feedback of angry constituents. In fact, working at the cabinet level or inside the West Wing, they get accustomed to a certain amount of privilege and deference within their social circles without being personal targets of some of the harshest criticisms directed at administration policies.
But Nielsen, who became the poster girl in recent weeks for defending a pre-meditated policy of state-sponsored terror, got an earful two times this week. While Friday's protest was organized, Tuesday's restaurant action was completely organic. Werner had gotten a text from a friend dining at MXDC that Nielsen was there and they immediately put the word out on social media. Werner was the first to get there and within about 25 minutes, a dozen or so other protesters arrived, some of them affiliated with the Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America.
"It was a group effort," said Werner. The cohort got within about six feet of Nielsen's table, which was being guarded by two Secret Service officers, and began freestyling chants on the fly, like: "If kids can't eat in peace, you can't eat in peace!"
Nielsen sat "stone-faced," recalled Werner, staring down at her half-eaten salad and declining to make eye contact.
Werner said all the protesters agreed they were willing to be arrested, but after about 20 minutes, no police had arrived and they felt as though they had made their point. Once they left the restaurant, however, a group of officers did arrive and detained them for about 10 minutes. Werner believes Nielsen exited the restaurant during that time.
As the New York Post wrote of Miller's episode, "Maybe grab a burger next time." Or perhaps just wear a hood.
Check out the clips below. Here’s protesters out front of Nielsen’s Alexandria townhouse Friday.
Nielsen leaving the Mexican restaurant MXDC on Tuesday.