The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been accused of sharing thinly-veiled nativist propaganda on social media as it pursues a sweeping campaign of mass deportations. Throughout July, the X account of the department run by Kristi Noem posted a series of paintings depicting a particular, nostalgic version of America.
Among the artworks featured was the 1872 painting American Progress by John Gast, which shows Lady Liberty floating above white settlers advancing across the landscape while Native Americans and buffalo recede to the margins. Another post used Morgan Weistling's A Prayer for a New Life, a close-up of a white pioneer couple with a baby in a covered wagon, captioned 'Remember your Homeland’s Heritage.' A third included Thomas Kinkade's Morning Pledge, a mid-20th century scene of children walking towards an American flag.
The artists' representatives have expressed outrage. Weistling said he was not consulted before his work was used. The Kinkade Family Foundation stated that Morning Pledge was used without permission to 'promote division and xenophobia,' betraying the artist's vision of inclusivity. The foundation noted Kinkade had helped raise millions for the poor and provided art kits to farmworker communities.
Historians and experts have also raised concerns. Richard White, professor emeritus at Stanford University, called the use of American Progress a 'mythic narrative' that ignores the violence of westward expansion, including US Army wars with indigenous tribes and KKK terror against Black people. White compared current DHS immigration operations in Los Angeles to the Nazi Gestapo.
Journalist Spencer Ackerman, author of Reign of Terror, argued that far-right nativist currents have existed within DHS since its founding after 9/11, with the term 'homeland' itself being a crypto-right wing move. The DHS defended its actions, stating it 'honors artwork that celebrates America’s heritage' and is 'unapologetically proud of American history.'
