South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is under fire for a series of recent recruitment videos that quote scripture and showcase militarized immigration enforcement, sparking fierce criticism from faith leaders and civil rights advocates.
In a strongly worded opinion piece for MSNBC published Monday evening, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, vice president of programs and strategy at the Interfaith Alliance, condemned the ad campaign as “a confession of moral bankruptcy.”
Graves-Fitzsimmons pointed to the Trump administration’s past efforts to justify controversial immigration policies using religious language, a strategy he believes is being revived with these new DHS materials.
In particular, he criticized a pair of promotional videos released in the past month that quote Bible verses alongside images of tactical agents and helicopters. One video references Isaiah 6, stating: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me.’”
The video pairs this scripture with dark, cinematic footage of immigration enforcement operations, a combination Graves-Fitzsimmons describes as “bastardizing” sacred texts to justify state violence.
A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 23, 2025
American Progress – John Gast pic.twitter.com/agU6bl8TZ8
Another ad includes the verse from Proverbs 28: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth; but the righteous are bold as a lion,” overlaid with images of DHS agents conducting raids.
In a separate social media post, DHS shared the 19th-century painting American Progress—a symbol of Manifest Destiny—with the caption: “A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending.”
Graves-Fitzsimmons questioned the motivations behind invoking religious imagery and messaging in what he describes as a harsh and increasingly militarized immigration crackdown.
“If your policies were just, you wouldn’t need to borrow God’s authority to sell them,” he wrote. “By wrapping itself in scripture, the Trump administration has only confirmed what its critics, including many devout believers, have been saying all along: This deportation crackdown isn’t a divine mandate, it’s a national disgrace.”
He went on to accuse the administration of turning to “religious fervor” in a desperate bid to rally support among law enforcement for what he described as “brutal cruelty and injustice.” The article also references reports of DHS establishing what critics have likened to a “concentration camp” in Florida.
The use of religious language in government messaging has reignited debate about the separation of church and state, with many religious leaders warning that the administration’s tactics distort faith to justify political aims.
The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to the criticism at the time of publication.
