Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its subsidiary Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States have been actively promoting traditional American cultural values while using posters to recruit new members to combat illegal immigration.
With the substantial new funding provided by President Trump’s recent signing of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” ICE is ramping up its recruitment efforts to assist the government in combating illegal immigration.
Following this, DHS launched a patriotic poster campaign, as seen in posters like the one titled “America Needs You to Join Now,” featuring Uncle Sam holding up a giant American flag against the backdrop of a rising sun with the Statue of Liberty, accompanied by the title “Defend the Golden Era,” revealing the recruitment theme and departmental strategic vision to viewers.
ICE encourages patriotic Americans who are committed to public safety, national service, and upholding the rule of law to apply immediately and embark on a fulfilling career in federal law enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement on its official website, quoted Secretary Kristi Noem as saying, “This is a defining moment in our nation’s history. Your skills, experience, and courage have never been more important. We must stand together to defend our homeland.”
The agency responsible for overseeing the U.S. immigration system describes this as a struggle involving the survival of the nation, and recently shared a recruitment poster on social media, depicting Uncle Sam at a crossroads with one direction leading to “Homeland” and “Opportunity,” and the other to “Invasion” and “Cultural Decline,” with the caption, “Americans, which path will you choose?”
Other posts shared by the agency describe its employees not only as public servants but also as sacred saviors of the nation, culture, and way of life.
One post reads, “Serve your country! Defend your culture! These positions do not require a college degree!”
In another post encouraging people to join ICE, the title reads, “Your country needs you to step up. For our country, for our culture, for our way of life. Will you answer the call?” accompanied by an image of American poet Edgar Guest’s poem “A Patriotic Creed.”
In another post titled “Help your country identify and arrest illegal foreign residents,” Uncle Sam on the poster urges citizens to report “invaders from abroad” to “help your country … and yourself,” providing a phone number to report criminal activities.
Some of the posters evoke the works of American illustrator Norman Rockwell, depicting an optimistic and nostalgic sentiment, portraying an idealized American life with everyday scenes and relatable characters, showcasing a traditional, free-speech and religious-belief rich, prosperous and peaceful America.
On July 14, DHS posted a painting by contemporary artist Morgan Weistling titled “A Prayer for a New Life,” depicting a white pioneer family praying with a baby in a covered wagon. DHS paired this painting with the title “Remember your Homeland’s Heritage.”
On July 23, DHS posted a photo of John Gast’s 1872 painting “American Progress” on its social media, with the title “A Proud Heritage Worth Defending, A Home Worth Defending.”
The painting portrays an angelic figure representing America, carrying the light of “civilization” and moving westward with optimistic and brave pioneers, spreading the messages of settlement, education, and new technologies to the sparsely populated lands, transforming darkness into light wherever they go.
For decades, historians have used this painting to demonstrate the concept of “manifest destiny,” a popular belief in the 19th century that American westward expansion was divinely ordained, influenced by this period’s faith, immigrants with a romantic pioneer spirit continued to expand westward, eventually connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with the national territory and establishing a geographically advantaged country, greatly enhancing America’s strength as a nation.
On August 11, when President Trump announced he would take over the Washington, D.C. Police Department, DHS posted a picture of the 1943 U.S. Capitol on Instagram, with the title “We Can Return.”
DHS stated to CNN that the Trump administration “proudly embraces American history and traditions” without hesitation.
It is generally believed that the Department of Homeland Security is using social media for promotion, invoking nostalgia and identity, emphasizing traditional American imagery and values, enforcing its immigration enforcement policies and recruitment, highlighting a shift in the department’s communication strategy.
Some praise these messages for patriotism, while others criticize them for catering to white nationalism sentiments, being exclusionary or divisive.
Democratic political strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio said, “The extreme right is sounding the alarm, they self-question and self-answer, ‘Do you know why you feel frustrated? Do you know why you feel challenged? Do you know why you feel out of place in your own society? It’s those people.'”
Nicholas Cull, a professor at the University of Southern California, said, “Persuaders win using emotional prototypes, first creating fear, followed closely by nostalgia, much like a one-two punch in classic boxing.”
Patrick Fontes, a professor at Clovis Community College in Fresno, California, believes that John Gast’s painting “American Progress” is “filled with racist hues and saturation,” referring to a bloody history in the 19th century targeting non-Anglo-American people (Native Americans).
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, stated in a press release that labeling everything you dislike as “Nazi propaganda” is tiresome, Uncle Sam represents America, standing at a crossroads, seriously contemplating which path America should take.
She also stated that the Department of Homeland Security “celebrates and praises artwork that reflects American traditions and history,” and is “pleased to see the media supporting our display of these patriotic-themed works.”
A lawyer for DHS told CNN that the Department of Homeland Security is promoting the public interest, advancing the work of government agencies, especially in removing dangerous illegal immigrants from our communities.
Signs indicate that the Department of Homeland Security’s new cultural strategy is proving effective, as it has received a large number of job applications. The agency announced this week that it has received over 100,000 applications in the past two weeks.
(This article references reporting by CNN.)