Homeland Security Forced to Pull MGMT’s “Little Dark Age” from ICE Recruitment Video

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed MGMT’s hit song “Little Dark Age” from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruitment video following a copyright takedown request from the band, marking the latest clash between musicians and government agencies over unauthorized use of their work.

MGMT issued a stern statement on Instagram after discovering their 2017 track had been used in what they described as a “propaganda video” posted by DHS on October 23. The video, which showed federal agents arresting protesters outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, was captioned: “End of the Dark Age, beginning of the Golden Age.”

“MGMT is aware of ‘Little Dark Age’ being featured in a propaganda video by the Department of Homeland Security and has issued a takedown request for the unauthorized use of their music,” the band wrote in their brief but pointed statement.

In response to the band’s request, DHS completely deleted the video from its X (formerly Twitter) account. However, as of Saturday night, the video remained on Instagram without the track, while both the video and song were still accessible on the department’s Bluesky account.

The situation is particularly ironic given the song’s origin. MGMT, formed in 2002 by Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser, has previously revealed that “Little Dark Age” was written in direct response to Donald Trump winning the 2016 presidential election. In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, VanWyngarden explained, “Apparently we were more inspired to write pop music after evil took over the world.”

This context made the song’s use in a government recruitment video especially jarring for fans, who quickly flooded DHS’s Instagram post with critical comments. “MGMT would never support this,” wrote one fan. “Please do not use their music to push your disturbing and hateful narrative.” Another pointed out, “The irony is that little dark age is about how s*** like this is bad.”

The controversy highlights how “Little Dark Age” has been caught in a cultural tug-of-war over its meaning. According to a report by the UK’s Institute for Strategic Dialogue, the song became “by far the most popular Sound among extremist creators on TikTok” after it was incorporated into a viral trend on the platform in 2021. Far-right groups have increasingly co-opted the track, seemingly misinterpreting or deliberately ignoring its original anti-Trump inspiration.

This incident is not isolated. DHS has faced similar copyright claims from other musicians objecting to the use of their work in government messaging that promotes hardline immigration policies. Earlier this month, the department was forced to take down a social media post that used The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” without permission. During the summer, another post featuring Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement” to promote ICE recruitment was also removed following objections.

These recurring incidents reflect the broader tensions between artists protective of their creative work and government agencies seeking to leverage popular music to enhance their messaging and recruitment efforts. For many musicians, especially those whose art contains political commentary, unauthorized use in government communications represents not just a copyright violation but a potential misrepresentation of their values and beliefs.

As the digital landscape continues to blur lines between content creation and content sharing, these conflicts between artists and government entities will likely persist, particularly when politically charged content is involved.