Halo-Infused ICE Officers: Trump’s DHS Recruitment Strategy

Department of Homeland Security Uses Halo Theme to Promote Itself on Social Media

Following the controversial use of the original Pokémon theme song in a montage of ICE raids, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has turned to another popular video game franchise, Halo, to boost its presence on social media. In a recent post, the DHS shared an image featuring Halo characters and a Warthog vehicle from the games, accompanied by the text “DESTROY THE FLOOD” and a link to ICE’s recruitment website. The post was captioned with the phrase “finishing this fight.”

Similar to its previous Pokémon-themed post, where it used the caption “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” the DHS’s Halo post draws implicit comparisons between immigrants and creatures from video games, this time referencing the parasitic alien species known as the Flood.

When approached for comment, Microsoft chose not to respond to inquiries about the DHS’s post, nor did it immediately address questions regarding posts from the White House and GameStop. Moreover, The Pokémon Company International distanced itself from the association of Pokémon with Trump’s immigration policies, clarifying in a statement to The Daily Beast that they were not involved in the creation or distribution of such content and had not authorized the use of their intellectual property.

Correction, October 27th: The statement regarding Pokémon was provided by The Pokémon Company International, not Nintendo, as previously mentioned.