Critics say DHS ‘For God & Country’ video crosses a dangerous line
A social media post by the Department of Homeland Security featured a biblical passage, a gospel version of Ye’s “Jesus Walks” and images of masked, heavily armed agents conducting immigration enforcement raids. The post has sparked controversy on X, where users said the agency is misguided in using the Bible quote and shouldn’t have published it.
The 57-second video was titled “For God & Country.” It was accompanied by text from Isaiah 41:10:
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
The department has not publicly addressed its use of religious imagery in the video, which included a recruitment message for immigration agents.
But users on X questioned the use of the quotation, suggesting that DHS was missing context. Some shared purported quotes from historians, politicians and others who argued that the U.S. is a secular nation.
To one First Amendment attorney, the post suggested the department feels emboldened to violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The provision prevents public bodies from favoring one religion and creating an official religion.
“It sends a dangerous signal that their enforcement actions are morally elevated and sanctified,” said Chris Line, legal counsel at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an organization that promotes nontheism in government.
It’s not the first time Homeland Security faced pushback for citing religious text on social media. In July, the department also quoted Isaiah in a video that showed immigration enforcement officers boarding helicopters and using night vision technology to spot migrants, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
A copyright request disabled the video, but the post remains online. It isn’t known if Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, or his record label authorized the use of his song in the latest video.
Line said the “law is pretty clear” and that the post should never have been published with scripture. He noted the foundation has filed several takedown notices to DHS in the past and will do the same for the newest post.
“They can’t use official communication like this to imply they’d favor one religion over the other,” he said.
“The purpose to evoke the Bible is to claim a higher institution rather than our Constitution,” Line added. “That’s the age-old rallying cry with holy wars.”
Implication of favoritism
The Supreme Court has authorized the use of so-called “ceremonial deism,” a concept that has been invoked in litigation related to the Pledge of Allegiance and the phrase “In God we trust” in public schools, government buildings and currency.
According to the Pew Research Center, that argument was prevalent in three Supreme Court cases: Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, County of Allegheny v. ACLU, and Marsh v. Chambers.
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Ceremonial deism is a government’s use of religion as a means to express faith, not allegiance or favor to a religion.
In the 1983 Marsh case, the court ruled that Nebraska did not violate the Establishment Clause by opening legislative sessions with prayer. In the Allegheny County case, the court ruled that a Christmas tree and a Hanukkah menorah placed outside a county building didn’t violate the same clause because they were placed next to one another. The Elk Grove case was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, but Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote that the court should have ruled in favor of allowing the Pledge of Allegiance in schools because reciting it is an act of patriotism.
The new DHS video may not meet the court’s standard, however, Line said.
“This is not just some sort of generic statement,” he said. “The opening may fall under ceremonial deism, but the Bible verse does not.“
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
