The Deportation Playlist Is Mostly Stolen

AS MASKED IMMIGRATION and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents deploy to U.S. cities, the Trump administration is also running a social media campaign. Its effort to stay viral online is colliding with copyright law.

- Autumn Billings

Between January 26 and November 10, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted 487 times on Instagram—more than 28 percent of the agency's total posting since joining the platform in 2014. The posts promote the crackdown by mixing 20th century propaganda with modern memes, and they feature a wide range of popular imagery and audio.

But not all the content they use has been licensed—or welcomed. Several creators have pushed back on the unauthorized use of their copyright-protected work.

In July, the band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club blasted DHS for using its rendition of "God's Gonna Cut You Down" without permission in a since-removed video featuring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. "It's obvious that you don't respect Copyright Law and Artist Rights any more than you respect Habeas Corpus and Due Process rights," the band said in a post on X.