A video posted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s account on X, which features Bible verses as border agents search for undocumented individuals in the United States, has sparked outrage online.
One of the Bible verses referenced is Isaiah 6:8. The verse, from the New International Version (NIV), 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 removed 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 then shown in boats and helicopters, using night vision to carry out their mission of searching for undocumented individuals.
Playing in the background is Johnny Cash’s song “God’s Gonna Cut You Down,” with the chorus repeating: “You can run on for a long time… Sooner or later God’ll cut you down.”
While the video has since been taken down, the comments and replies remain. It had 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 commented, according to Church Leaders. “I am SURE those rescued felt God answered their prayers.”
However, critics argued the video was both inappropriate and blasphemous.
“I’m not religious by any stretch of the imagination,” one user replied on X. “But I’m pretty sure using the Bible for a recruiting ad is considered blasphemy.”
The video comes amid an ongoing lawsuit filed by a coalition of Christian denominations against former President Donald Trump’s administration, aiming to stop immigration raids and enforcement actions in places of worship, as Premier Christian News previously reported. Churches had previously been considered safe zones from immigration enforcement.