The United States Government has intensified the presence of ICE since 2026 began. The result has resulted in two deaths, Alex Pretti and Renée Good, and more than 70,000 detainees in just one month, which has provoked a reaction from ordinary Americans.
In contrast to the “hate” generated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement is its aggressive advertising to promote mass recruitment. “Catch the worst of the worst: drug traffickers, gang members, predators…” was described in one of the television messages. They even released a video generated by artificial intelligence (AI) at Christmas in which Santa Claus acted as an immigration agent. In the advertisement, the “endearing” character appears with a bulletproof vest, weapons and the ICE logo on his chest, while sending a message to undocumented migrants to leave the country voluntarily.
ICE advertising presents its agents as defenders of order and the nation, in a staging that deliberately recalls the cinematographic language of war and action films. A strategy that, as analyzed by Bruno Cardeñosa and Silvia Casasola in The rose of the winds, by Onda Cero, along with journalist Fernando Rueda, is very reminiscent of films financed by the Pentagon, as is the case of top gun.
Top Gun: How a Movie Soared Navy Recruiting by 400%
The potential of cinema and advertising for military recruitment dates back to the 20th century, with one film as the main protagonist: Top Gun. A young Tom Cruise is sent to a prestigious flying school, famous for training the best fighter pilots in the country. During the program, the direct impact that Top Gun had on the increase in enlistments in the United States was recalled.
“Recruitment rates in the Navy increased 400% after the film,” explained Fernando Rueda, emphasizing that the transfer of bases, planes and facilities by the Pentagon was not casual, but part of an implicit agreement to convey “a heroic image of the film and the pilots.”
Silvia Casasola adds that the presence of the Pentagon or the United States Secret Services in cinema is too normalized because “it is a great tool to try to instill your ideals.” “I even remember that even Franco got into the world of cinema and was waiting for a script,” he adds.
As explained in the program, the Pentagon has teams dedicated exclusively to reviewing scripts and negotiating content. The objective is clear: to guarantee that the armed and security forces appear associated with positive values.
ICE strategy
The ICE campaign seems to be inspired by that same scheme. Instead of showing the harshness of the raids or the controversial politics surrounding the agency, promotional materials prioritize images of patriotism, advanced technology and missions presented as necessary and just. A symbolic construction that, as they pointed out in The Compass Rose, ends up penetrating the collective imagination. “What appears in the world of cinema is embedded in the conscience of entire societies,” says Bruno Cardeñosa.
The striking advertisements of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service depend directly on the body’s budget increase, which gives the coffers of the immigration agency more than 100,000 million dollars, where before it had “only” 8,000 million. The advertising campaign has been key to attracting as many interested parties as possible.
Other examples of films that have been supported by the intelligence services can be Platoon (in Spanish, Platoon), Black Hack Down or even Doctor Zhivagowhich focuses on discrediting the Russians during the Cold War. “Russia tried, but it didn’t have Hollywood. If at that time you didn’t have cinema, you had nothing,” says Rueda.
