A video posted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s platform on X, which uses Bible verses as border guards search for undocumented people in America, has sparked public outrage.
One of the Bible verses referenced is Isaiah 6:8. The verse, from the New International Version (NIV) Bible, reads: “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!'”
In the video — which was later disabled due to “a report by the copyright owner” — a narrator begins by saying, “There’s a Bible verse I think about sometimes. Many times.”
The narrator continues: “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.’”
As Church Leaders points out, the camera then cuts to the narrator’s uniform patch, identifying him as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent. Agents are subsequently shown in boats and helicopters, using night vision as they carry out their mission to locate undocumented individuals.
In the background, Johnny Cash’s song “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” plays, with the chorus repeating the lines: “You can run on for a long time… Sooner or later God’ll cut you down.”
Although the video has since been taken down, the comments and replies remain. It had garnered nearly 3 million views on X.
Some social media users defended the DHS’s use of scripture.
“I think this is a wonderful way to use scripture… you are answering WHATEVER call the Lord has on your life!” one person replied, according to Church Leaders. “I am SURE those rescued felt God answered their prayers.”
However, critics argue that the video is both blasphemous and inappropriate.
“I’m not religious by any stretch of the imagination,” another person replied on X. “But I’m pretty sure using the Bible for a recruiting ad is considered blasphemy.”
The video comes amid a lawsuit brought by a group of Christian denominations against former President Donald Trump’s administration, aiming to stop immigration raids and enforcement actions in places of worship, as previously reported by Premier Christian News. Churches had previously been considered safe from enforcement operations.