John,

Major corporations are accepting millions in advertising dollars from the Department of Homeland Security to run ICE recruitment ads, even as aggressive enforcement operations escalate violence across the country.

In order to send thousands of militarized ICE and CBP agents into Minneapolis and into communities across the country, the Department of Homeland Security is operating a massive recruitment campaign with the goal of hiring 10,000 new ICE agents this year. It’s spending $100 million on a “wartime recruitment” campaign, including vile, racist ads on various digital platforms.¹

Google and YouTube are airing ICE’s recruitment ads on their platforms. Some of these ads contain “niche, neo-Nazi-beloved music,” openly embracing white supremacy.² According to one researcher, in the past, “those dog whistles were being done by supporters. Now they’re being done directly by the administration.”

While the majority of the ads are seeking new ICE recruits, DHS has also spent almost $3 million on Spanish-language ads on Google and YouTube, targeting and harassing Spanish-speaking populations in the U.S., offensively telling people to “go home.”³

No corporations should be supporting ICE’s violent attacks, much less profiting from them.

Click here to send a message to the CEOs of Google and YouTube demanding they take down these vile ICE ads now and stop accepting money from DHS and ICE.

ICE is targeting ads toward people who listen to right-wing or “patriotic” podcasts, or show an interest in guns and tactical gear, using phrases such as “sacred duty,” “defend the homeland,” and “foreign invaders.”

Even former ICE officials have raised alarms. According to an interview with The Washington Post, Sarah Saldana, a director of ICE during the Obama administration, “worries that the speed with which ICE is racing to bring on new hires — coupled with the ad campaign’s framing of the jobs as part of a war — will raise the risk that the agency could attract untrained recruits eager for all-out combat.”¹

And that’s exactly what we’re seeing play out in real time in ICE raids and the killing of people in our streets.

Take action to hold Google and YouTube accountable for their participation in ICE’s terror campaign. Click here to send a message to their CEOs now.

Corporate pressure works. When companies face public accountability, they change course. Let’s raise our voices, together.

In solidarity,

Dominique Espinoza
Policy and Strategic Partnerships Manager, CHN Action

¹ ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
² DHS Used Neo-Nazi Anthem for Recruitment After Fatal Minneapolis ICE Shooting
³ ICE Ads Are All Over Your Favorite Streaming Services