Fast Times at Immigration and Customs Enforcement

"In a video produced by the Department of Homeland Security this month, two tricked-out ICE vehicles roll around on the National Mall to "Toes" by rapper DaBaby: "My heart so cold I think I'm done with ice (uh, brr) / Said if I leave her, she gon' die / Well ... you done with life." The vehicles feature a new ICE logo and DEFEND THE HOMELAND in block letters, painted in a color scheme similar to the president's private plane."

"The Lincoln Memorial zips by and DaBaby continues: "Better not pull up with no knife / 'Cause I bring guns to fights." There's the White House, the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol. On the tinted glass of the pickup, PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP is stenciled in all caps, like a production credit. "What I look like with all this money?" DaBaby asks, more of a taunt than a question."

"For many longtime Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and agency veterans, the video epitomizes the transformation of ICE from an agency focused on legalistic immigration procedures into a political instrument and propaganda tool. Most ICE officers and agents prefer to work in plain clothes, focus on finding immigrants who are known criminals, and keep a low profile, especially in major U.S. cities where they are loathed by many, and where some activists use crowdsourcing apps to report their whereabouts in real time."

A Department of Homeland Security video shows two customized Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles driving on the National Mall to DaBaby's song "Toes." The pickups display a new ICE logo, "DEFEND THE HOMELAND" lettering, and "PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP" stenciled on tinted glass. The 29-second spot, captioned "Iced Out," frames the fleet as flashy bling and signals a swaggering expansion of a mass-deportation campaign. Many ICE veterans view the imagery as evidence of a shift from legalistic immigration procedures to a politicized, propaganda-oriented agency. Agency veterans warn that wrapped vehicles compromise plainclothes operations and heighten risks from protesters and vandals. Secretary Kristi Noem and aides have promoted showy operations.

Read at The Atlantic