Outrage is erupting online as a renowned Japanese artist blasts the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for allegedly swiping his artwork to champion a hard-line deportation campaign.
On December 31, the DHS division, helmed by Kristi Noem, fired off a provocative New Year’s Eve post on X, trumpeting, ‘The peace of a nation freed from the third world,’ paired with a sunny scene of a red classic convertible parked by swaying palm trees. Superimposed over the picture: ‘America after 100 million deportations.’
But the vibrant beachscape wasn’t theirs to use. Veteran illustrator Hiroshi Nagai, now 78, says he painted the original masterpiece way back in 1947. He was appalled to spot his vintage art, now paired with anti-immigration rhetoric, floating across social media courtesy of the U.S. government. ‘DHS used my image without consent,’ Nagai vented on X, sharing a screenshot of the inflammatory post with fans and asking, ‘How should I handle this violation?’
It’s hardly the first time Homeland Security has landed in hot water for appropriating artists’ creations to fuel anti-immigrant propaganda. Rewind to July: The agency promoted a painting by Morgan Weistling—meant to capture a nostalgic, all-American frontier family—but botched the title and failed to ask for permission. ‘Attention,’ Weistling snapped on his website, ‘[DHS] posted my work on social media without my approval.’
That same month, the foundation representing late painter Thomas Kinkade lashed out after DHS showcased his evocative piece ‘Morning Pledge’ in yet another unauthorized X post, blasting the department’s ‘deplorable actions.’
September saw DHS scrambling: A slick video featuring podcaster Theo Von vanished after he publicly insisted on its removal. In October, immigration agents made waves by dropping a viral video touting the capture of ‘illegal aliens,’ but earned fury from Pokémon’s creators for jacking copyrighted content. Days later, alternative band MGMT forced Homeland Security to yank a propaganda clip that misused their hit ‘Little Dark Age.’ The group’s statement was blunt: DHS had no right to their music and had been served a takedown notice.
Music stars keep getting caught in the crossfire. Country crooner Zach Bryan’s tunes popped up in agency content, sparking friction, while pop princess Sabrina Carpenter has openly ridiculed Trump-era officials for using her work.
No pop culture is safe. The agency even leveraged E.T. and South Park imagery to push its message, prompting South Park’s X account to snarkily post, ‘Wait, so we ARE relevant? #eatabagof[expletive].’
Still, DHS remains defiant. ‘We’ll use every resource we’ve got as our agents strive to Make America Safe Again,’ a spokesperson declared to the Daily Beast.
As for Nagai, he’s been contacted for comment as the controversy grows, leaving fans of classic art everywhere wondering: Is anything sacred any more?
