ICE Intensifies Public Relations Efforts Amid Scrutiny

In a marked shift from standard operations, the Department of Homeland Security has dramatically intensified its media strategy over the past two weeks, transforming from routine governmental communications to what critics describe as an aggressive propaganda machine supporting President Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.

The agency’s X account (@DHSgov), which previously shared typical operational updates and official statements, has now become a distribution hub for nearly two dozen highly produced videos showcasing forceful ICE operations in cities like Chicago and Portland. These professionally edited videos depict agents rappelling from helicopters onto rooftops, deploying flash-bang grenades, and conducting military-style operations against what the administration characterizes as violent protesters and dangerous immigrants.

This media blitz appears designed to reinforce the narrative Trump used during his campaign—that his deportation efforts target primarily violent criminals. The visual storytelling portrays ICE agents in heroic, high-risk scenarios reminiscent of action films like “Sicario,” suggesting that overwhelming force is necessary for immigration enforcement.

What distinguishes this campaign from typical government communications is its coordinated deployment with right-wing media personalities. In Portland, conservative influencers including Nick Sortor, Katie Daviscourt, Honey Badger Mom, and Julio Rosas were positioned on ICE facility rooftops during protests, documenting events from a favorable vantage point. Their footage has been repackaged into White House-produced videos and amplified across conservative media networks.

One notable incident involved Daviscourt appearing on Fox News with a black eye she claimed resulted from being struck by “Antifa protesters” with a flagpole. Similarly, Sortor was filmed seizing an American flag from protesters attempting to burn it—footage that garnered hundreds of thousands of interactions when reposted by Fox News on TikTok. Sortor later claimed he had direct support from Trump, telling interviewers, “Trump has my back on this,” and that the president “texted me and said ‘Let me know what I can do, you have my full support.'”

These escalations have provoked strong reactions from local officials. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker characterized Trump’s deployment of federal agents in American cities as part of an “authoritarian march,” while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called for “ICE-free zones.” Trump responded by suggesting both should face imprisonment.

Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff at DHS during Trump’s first term before becoming a critic of the administration, expressed concern that these operations are deliberately provocative. “The folks at the White House were very disappointed that the entrance into L.A. in June didn’t provoke more violence,” Taylor said. “I genuinely think that was their intent… they were hoping to create the pretext for a more extensive crackdown.”

The media strategy extends beyond social platforms. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been regularly accompanied by MAGA commentator Benny Johnson, who documents and frames her activities in sympathetic terms. Meanwhile, DHS continues producing YouTube shorts highlighting arrests that routinely accumulate hundreds of thousands of views.

This represents a significant evolution from earlier media collaborations that included Dr. Phil appearing at ICE raids and influencer Tyler Oliveira posting an ICE ridealong titled “I Deported Illegal Immigrants With ICE!”—content that garnered millions of views across platforms.

Andrew Herrera, communications director for the immigration arm of Chicago advocacy group the Resurrection Project, likens the operation to a social media brand partnership. “When you have right-wing influencers jump in and boost it, it gives it a veneer of credibility,” Herrera said. “If you’re in the right-wing ecosystem, you see 40 accounts boosting it, which makes it feel more real. You’re laundering the truth by putting a lie out there and having it repeated by so many quote-unquote ‘independent’ sources.”

Critics argue this strategy serves multiple purposes: justifying the agency’s $45 billion funding (making it the nation’s best-funded law enforcement agency), countering citizen-shot videos that depict controversial aspects of ICE operations, and potentially manufacturing justification for expanded federal intervention in cities governed by Democrats.

“Everything we’re seeing is a performance,” Herrera concluded, “but with real guns and destroying real people’s lives.”