WASHINGTON — A former top official from Donald Trump’s first administration has unleashed a blistering critique of a new Department of Homeland Security promotional video, labeling it the “creepiest, stupidest, and most wildly irresponsible” release in the agency’s history.
Miles Taylor, who served as DHS chief of staff and later revealed himself as the anonymous “resistance” author in a 2018 New York Times op-ed, slammed the clip for glamorizing ICE crackdowns on protesters in a way that reeks of over-the-top propaganda.
The video, which surfaced recently on DHS social media channels, features dramatic orchestral music overlaying footage of ICE officers in riot gear and gas masks clashing with demonstrators amid clouds of tear gas.
Text scrolls across the screen quoting Theodore Roosevelt from 1887: “The United States has the same right to protect itself… as a man has to protect himself from death by assassination.”
The montage includes ranks of agents marching from a compound toward protesters, pushing back crowds, intercut with black-and-white shots of a violinist playing, before the officers return looking triumphant.
Explosions of flash bombs add to the cinematic flair.
ICE Gets Scrutinized by Former DHS Chief of Staff
Taylor, now 38 and a vocal Trump critic, fired off his reaction on X: “I used to help run this Department. This is the creepiest, stupidest, and most wildly irresponsible video it’s ever released.”
His outburst highlights ongoing concerns about DHS’s media strategy under Secretary Kristi Noem, which has veered into controversial territory with hard-edged stunts aimed at recruiting and justifying aggressive immigration enforcement.
The Roosevelt quote, pulled from a biography of Missouri Sen. Thomas Hart Benton, originally addressed 19th-century debates on nullification and secession, arguing the federal government must defend itself against rebellion much like an individual against an assassin.
In the video’s context, it appears to frame DHS responses to protesters blocking operations as a vital national defense, potentially escalating perceptions of routine enforcement as existential threats.
This isn’t DHS’s first brush with backlash over its visuals.
Late last month, the agency drew fire for a failed attempt to incorporate Pokémon imagery and its theme into an ICE highlight reel, complete with mock “cards” for arrestees tagged “Gotta catch ’em all.”
But really, it just made them look like Team Rocket…
Another promo used footage from a Chicago apartment-tower raid—where residents alleged traumatic tactics like hauling children naked into vans and zip-tying seniors—boasting “OVER 900 ARRESTS” in “Operation Midway Blitz” without mentioning complaints of wrongful detentions.
ICE Propaganda Flops
DHS has ramped up public relations spending, with reports indicating plans to pour millions into a “Stronger Border” campaign to back Noem’s agenda.
The department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Taylor’s criticism or the video’s intent.
Taylor’s history adds weight to his words.
He co-authored the 2018 op-ed and book A Warning exposing internal resistance to Trump’s impulses, revealing his identity in 2020.
This year, the White House suspended his security clearances and branded him an “egregious leaker,” accusations he denies while campaigning against Trump’s policies.
As DHS pushes aggressive enforcement amid protests and legal challenges, Taylor’s takedown spotlights a credibility crisis: Videos meant to rally support risk alienating the public and former insiders, turning routine operations into fodder for accusations of militarized overreach.
Check out The Philip DeFranco Show’s take on propaganda.
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