The Department of Homeland Security's latest recruitment post has sparked outrage, as the agency paired a neo-Nazi anthem with its official Instagram account. "We'll Have Our Home Again," by Pine Tree Riots, is a song popularized in white nationalist spaces that features lyrics about reclaiming one's home through "blood or sweat." This pairing comes on the heels of a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, where agent Jonathan Ross killed Renee Good during an enforcement operation.
The decision to use this song as part of their recruitment messaging has raised serious questions about the department's cultural awareness and judgment. Critics argue that DHS is now embracing the visual language of white supremacy and pop culture cited in instances of racial violence, which is a concerning trend that may alienate certain demographics.
This is not an isolated incident; over the past year, the federal government has leaned on mainstream pop music in their social media outreach, but it appears they are shifting to niche music that resonates more closely with extremist groups.
Data & Society's director of research, Alice Marwick, noted that "there was a sense of plausible deniability before," as DHS used mainstream pop music. However, now it seems like the administration is intentionally using language and imagery associated with white nationalism.
The timing of this post stands out, coming immediately after the fatal shooting by ICE agent Ross. Marwick believes that such juxtapositions are often read as intentional signals in online extremist spaces, indicating a deliberate attempt to reach specific audiences with extremist messaging.
This incident is part of a broader trend where federal agencies and government departments openly adopt white nationalist rhetoric, further eroding trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
The department has yet to respond to requests for comment.
The decision to use this song as part of their recruitment messaging has raised serious questions about the department's cultural awareness and judgment. Critics argue that DHS is now embracing the visual language of white supremacy and pop culture cited in instances of racial violence, which is a concerning trend that may alienate certain demographics.
This is not an isolated incident; over the past year, the federal government has leaned on mainstream pop music in their social media outreach, but it appears they are shifting to niche music that resonates more closely with extremist groups.
Data & Society's director of research, Alice Marwick, noted that "there was a sense of plausible deniability before," as DHS used mainstream pop music. However, now it seems like the administration is intentionally using language and imagery associated with white nationalism.
The timing of this post stands out, coming immediately after the fatal shooting by ICE agent Ross. Marwick believes that such juxtapositions are often read as intentional signals in online extremist spaces, indicating a deliberate attempt to reach specific audiences with extremist messaging.
This incident is part of a broader trend where federal agencies and government departments openly adopt white nationalist rhetoric, further eroding trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
The department has yet to respond to requests for comment.
. No seriously tho, who thought it was a good idea to pair that sick neo-Nazi anthem with their official Instagram account? It's not even subtle anymore, they're just straight up embracing this stuff like it's some kinda cool thing 
. I'm all for free speech and whatnot but come on, DHS is supposed to be about keeping us safe not perpetuating hate and white supremacy 
. This is exactly why we need better cultural awareness and judgment in our gov't agencies 
.
this is so concerning... it seems like the gov't is trying too hard to reach some people but end up alienating everyone else. I mean, who uses a neo-Nazi song in their recruitment post? It's just not right... 
DHS needs to get their act together and figure out what kind of message they actually want to convey. And this isn't an isolated incident, it's like they're trying to normalize hate speech or something... 
Like, what's next? Playing "God Bless America" at a black power rally? 
It smells too fishy to me... Is this some kind of twisted message to white nationalists that DHS "gets" them now? 
I'm just not buying it.
this is just another example of how govt agencies are slowly losing their grip on reality, using music that's straight out of a hate fest as recruitment material... what's next, gonna pair the national anthem with a KKK song or something? 
. Like, what's next? Posting a selfie of themselves holding up a 'Make America Great Again' sign? 
. And I get it, they want to connect with certain demographics, but is this really the best way to do it? It feels like they're trying too hard to be edgy and cool, while also alienating everyone else who doesn't identify as a white nationalist. 
.