Post dated July 7 from the Department of Homeland Security's official account on X (NCR screenshot/X)
by John Grosso
Honestly, you can't make this up.
The Department of Homeland Security's official account on X posted an eerie, cinematic video at 7:16 p.m. EST on July 7 of immigration agents boarding a helicopter, riding a boat, and a view through night vision goggles of migrants presumably crossing the U.S. border.
To bolster the images of the Trump administration's militaristic immigration enforcement, the video prominently quotes from the Book of Isaiah.
The internet quickly blew up.
"Blasphemous."
"This is idolatrous, horrible eisegesis."
The video uses an audio clip from the 2014 movie "Fury" wherein a character played by recent Catholic convert Shia LaBeouf quotes from the Book of Isaiah. "There's a Bible verse I think about sometimes," he says. "Many times. It goes: 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 caption uses that quote from Scripture, "Here am I, send me," and was accompanied by an American flag emoji.
Having apparently no sense of irony, video makers used "God's Gonna Cut You Down" as the musical accompaniment. Famously the song is about how no matter how self-righteous one is, sinners cannot hide from the divine justice of God.
That might be a lesson that those in the Trump administration will have to learn the hard way.
The verse used is from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 6. It reads:
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" "Here I am," I said; "send me!"
This passage marks the beginning of Isaiah's public ministry as the prophet assents to God's call to be a messenger to the people of Judah. It is worth noting that the ministry to which God called Isaiah was one of warning — God had become angry with the people of Israel because of their sinful ways, and Isaiah is sent to prophesize its impending destruction at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians.
The primary sin that God was angry about: Idolatry.
That's right. Worshipping false gods.
Hmm.
President Donald Trump's social media team at Homeland Security also has clearly not read any of Isaiah. (Can we send you a copy?)
Micah Bock, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, did not immediately provide a comment for this story.
The prophet famously includes the call to "make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow."
That verse is in the first chapter.
Had anyone involved in the creation of this video had any Scripture IQ, no doubt the irony would have been clear. This is the same prophet who famously quoted God as saying:
Since this people draws near with words only
and honors me with their lips alone,
though their hearts are far from me,
And fear of me has become
mere precept of human teaching.
Or who admonished people to:
Hide the outcasts,
do not betray the fugitives.
Let the outcasts of Moab live with you,
be their shelter from the destroyer.
Again, no irony in this administration that would so brazenly weaponize Scripture to fit their corrupt, godless, heartless and anti-Christian schemes. The blasphemous post is the latest in a series of heretical use of Scripture to christen an agenda that is an affront not just to the Christian faith, but to God himself.
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During a speech announcing the bombing of Iran, Trump invoked God. "I want to just say, we love you, God," Trump said.
Republicans formed a prayer circle on the floor of the house as they prepared to codify Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" — which NCR has repeatedly called shameful and disgraceful due to its unconscionable cuts in health care and food assistance, particularly for the poor and most vulnerable among us.
It isn't a stretch to imagine that if Isaiah were prophesizing today, the United States would be the subject of his righteous fury. And though many social media users were quick to admonish the administration, there were still thousands who liked the post, or commented with apparent glee.
"This goes so hard," said one verified user.
"Goes hard. Get them all out," said another.
Get the stranger out, in the name of God.
Perhaps one user unintentionally summed it up best in his praise. "Fire. Love it," he said.
Fire.
Prophetic word.
