Key Points
Alien.gov uses UFO-style imagery and language to present data on undocumented immigrants and ICE arrests across the United States.
The website became a subject of fascination as people initially mistook it for a government project related to extraterrestrials or UFOs.
The portal has drawn mixed reactions, with supporters praising transparency and critics accusing it of dehumanizing immigrant communities.
The Trump-led American administration has launched its newest initiative — a website dedicated towards compiling data and visuals related to ‘aliens.’ The website’s homepage features a cyber-punk style neon text flashing the words “They Walk Among Us.” Even though the portal is designed in UFO-style language and visuals are, it is, in actuality, showcasing data related to illegal immigrants arrested in the United States.
The website, alien.gov, is designed in a space-based theme that features a type-writer style font that displays sentences as the reader scrolls down. In addition, statistics related to encounters and a US heat map tracking the number of ‘aliens’— that is illegal immigrants — arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are also featured. The data displayed on the website will keep on getting updated, says the US government, and will also be available on the White House’s official app.
The website quickly gained traction and recognition, as many, judging by the domain name, believed it to be another project linked to the American government's initiative about extraterrestrial lives and UFOs. The interest quickly turned into surprise as the website, upon inspection, turned out to be entirely focused upon immigration deportation efforts by President Trump.
“For 60 years, the US government has kept a closely guarded secret,” the website’s homepage says. “Aliens have been walking among us, living in our neighborhoods, and interacting with us in our daily lives,” it continues.
“Millions arrived under the cover of darkness and embedded themselves directly into our society. Countless presidents, congressmen, and senior officials knew exactly what was happening. Instead of protecting American citizens, they chose to cover it up and even accelerate the invasion,” the new website states.
The website then goes on to state that only one man “finally had the courage to tell the truth”. It says US President Donald Trump has called out the danger “aliens” pose to Americans. “If you've witnessed an Alien abduction, do not be alarmed. The Alien is in good hands. We will take care of it... and return it safely to its place of origin”, the site reads at the end.
The website also encourages “call-to-action” for users, featuring a tip box that can be used to “report suspicious aliens.”
The American Immigration Council has stated that over 73,000 people are held in immigration and detention centres across the United States, as of mid-January.
The launch of the website has resulted in the outpouring of both support and criticism. Immigration advocates and civil right groups have criticized the language that the website uses, warning that the tone and the words used could result in creation of fear and hostility within immigrant communities. In contrast, supporters of Trump’s anti-immigration policies argue that the website increases public access to information about immigration enforcement.
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