Federal Agencies Under Scrutiny for Nazi-Like Imagery and Xenophobic Messaging

Federal government social media accounts have come under intense scrutiny after posting content containing what critics identify as neo-Nazi imagery, slogans, and ethno-nationalist messaging. Multiple agencies, including the Department of Labor, Department of Homeland Security, and the Pentagon’s research office, have published materials that appear to mirror far-right extremist content.

The Department of Labor recently posted a video captioned “One Homeland. One People. One Heritage,” which bears striking similarities to the Nazi slogan “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer” (“One people, one realm, one leader”). The post has accumulated over 22 million views.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s research office shared images of Revolutionary-era troops with glowing white eyes and red and cyan tinted boots—visual elements commonly associated with “fashwave” memes, a style often employed by neo-Nazi groups to make extremist content more aesthetically appealing.

DHS posted an image featuring a horse rider with a B-2 bomber overhead, overlaid with the text “We’ll have our home again”—nearly identical to lyrics from a song associated with the Mannerbund, a far-right folk group connected to Germany’s ethno-nationalist Völkisch movement.

These aren’t isolated incidents. In August, the Department of Homeland Security posted content including the phrase “Which way, American man?”—a reference to the book “Which Way Western Man?” written by neo-Nazi William Gayley Simpson and published by the far-right National Vanguard Books. In November, DHS shared videos resembling fashwave media styles.

Many posts promote “remigration,” a term that officially refers to voluntary return of immigrants to their birth countries but has gained popularity in white-nationalist circles as a euphemism for mass deportation of non-white immigrants from Western countries.

One particularly alarming DHS post viewed by 20 million people on X (formerly Twitter) featured a vintage car on a beach with the text “America After 100 Million Deportations.” The same day, the official White House X account posted a portrait of President Trump with the single word: “remigration.”

The scale of such proposed deportations is staggering. Even if all undocumented immigrants (approximately 14 million according to Pew Research), all green card holders (roughly 12 million), and all naturalized citizens (about 26 million) were deported, it would still fall significantly short of 100 million people.

Critics argue this suggests the potential targeting of native-born Americans. President Trump has already made concerning statements about specific communities, particularly Somali-Americans. During a recent Cabinet meeting, Trump said of Somalis, “I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you,” adding that the U.S. will “go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.”

The administration has begun immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, where many Somali-Americans live, and moved to end Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals. During remarks at the World Economic Forum, Trump attacked Somalis again, saying, “We’re cracking down on more than $19 billion in fraud that was stolen by Somalian bandits.”

When questioned about these posts, agency responses have been dismissive. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, described one post as “pretty milquetoast language about 20 million illegal aliens being removed/exiting the country.” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson suggested that connecting the content to fashwave or neo-Nazism might indicate “schizophrenic” thinking or “severe Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Wendy Via, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, expressed grave concern: “It is a plan for ethnic cleansing. We can’t think of it as anything else. It just is a plan for ethnic cleansing.”

The messaging aligns with rhetoric from administration officials. In DHS videos, Deputy Assistant Secretary Micah Bock has claimed America is not a “nation of immigrants” and warned that “there will be no second helpings for invaders.” Vice President Vance has similarly stated that “America is not just an idea. We’re a particular place, with a particular people, and a particular set of beliefs.”

This emerging concept, sometimes called “Heritage America,” represents an attempt to redefine American identity in a way that justifies excluding certain groups—a vision based not on traditional American ideals but on ethnicity and lineage, critics say.