The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently criticized Zach Bryan, a prominent figure in country music, for an unreleased song that takes aim at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Bryan provided a sneak peek of the yet-to-be-released song on Instagram, where he expressed sentiments like, “I heard the cops came, cocky motherf–kers ain’t they? And ICE is gonna come bust down your door.” This stirred a reaction from government officials, with the DHS sharing ICE arrest footage set to Bryan’s song “Revival” on X, with the caption “we’re having an All Night Revival.”
In response to the backlash, Bryan explained via Instagram that the song was penned three months ago and was not intended to be divisive. He emphasized that the full context of the song addresses both sides of the political spectrum. Bryan expressed concern over the polarization caused by the song and clarified that he does not align with extreme political ideologies.
Despite Bryan’s song touching on general societal discord, it got embroiled in discussions about political activism and dissent, particularly in the context of the ongoing immigration debate. This incident is not the first time DHS has been entangled in controversies involving celebrities.
Amidst criticisms of its immigration enforcement tactics, the Trump administration has faced backlash for increased raids, aiming for what the president called “the largest mass deportation in history.” This intensified scrutiny coincides with the agency’s ramped-up social media presence, often pairing enforcement footage with popular culture references.
Notably, DHS faced pushback for using comedian Theo Von’s content without consent in deportation-related videos. Following Von’s objections, the agency removed the contentious video but encountered another copyright issue for featuring ICE agents alongside a copyrighted theme song without authorization.
The Pokemon Company International disclaimed any involvement in the creation or distribution of the content featuring their intellectual property. Despite objections, the post remains on the DHS account, raising questions about intellectual property rights and content usage on social media platforms.
