Department of Homeland Security this week publicly criticized Zac Bryan, one of country music's biggest superstars, for an unreleased song critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Brian teased the unreleased song on Instagram last week. In the accompanying snippet of the track, he sings: “I heard the cops came, cocky bastards, didn't they? / And ICE will knock down your door / Try to build a house that no one else builds / Well, I have a phone / The kids are all scared and all alone.”
Government officials responded immediately. In X Magazine, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published footage of ICE arrests, soundtracked by Brian's song. Renaissanceand also the caption: “We are having an evening revival.” When TMZ has asked for commentDHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Trisha McLaughlin said he should “stick to Pink skyDude,” a reference to another Brian song.
In a series of subsequent Instagram posts, Brian addressed the controversy the song caused, saying the reaction was disproportionate to its actual centrist message.
In a post Tuesday night, the U.S. Navy veteran said he wrote the song three months ago and never intended for it to cause controversy. He wrote that he was “proud” to have served his country and stated that when the song is heard in its entirety, “you will understand the full context that applies to both sides.”
“Anyone using this as a weapon now only proves how divided we all are,” he wrote. “When I see how much crap this has stirred up, I'm not only confused, but also a little scared. Left wing or right wing, we're all one bird and American. To be clear, I don't belong to either of those radical sides.”
In an excerpt from the song, Brian actually sings about the general discord in American society, in the words: “Middle fingers go up and keep showing / There's bad news / The disappearance of the red, white and blue.”
But in the face of growing divisive immigration policy and broader debates around political activism and controversy, Brian's song quickly entered the conversation about politically oriented art. In fact, this isn't even the first time DHS has been involved in a bidding war over X with a celebrity.
Neglect on social networks
The Trump administration is under strengtheningg fire for your raids – part of what the president promised it would be “the largest mass deportation in history.” The unit's agents — often masked and unidentified — made about three times as many arrests from May to June compared with the same period last year, according to the UC Berkeley School of Law. Deportation Data Project.
At the same time, the agency has increased its social media presence, often pairing footage of ICE arrests with popular songs, memes or even brand images. Last month, DHS released a video of comedian and YouTuber Theo Vaughn saying, “Heard you got deported, bye dude.” This was followed by information about the number of deportations carried out by the Trump administration so far.
“Yo DHS, I didn't consent to be used in this. I know you know my address so send a check. And please delete this and keep me out of your 'thug' deportation videos,” Von wrote in a now-deleted reply. “When it comes to immigration, my thoughts and heart are much more nuanced than this video allows. Bye!”
DHS subsequently removed the video. But soon after, the account became the target of another copyright issue: after it posted footage of Border Patrol and ICE agents along with the slogan “Gotta Catch 'Em All” underlined Pokemon musical theme. The Pokemon Company International subsequently stated that this was an unauthorized use of their brand.
“Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission to use our intellectual property was not obtained,” the statement said. statement to the BBC. The message is currently still in the DHS X account.
