NFL Humiliates Trump Admin With Takedown Demand Over Immigration Crackdown Video

It seems the Trump Admin still hasn't learned that no one wants to be associated with their nonsense.
NFL Humiliates Trump Admin With Takedown Demand Over Immigration Crackdown Video
Credit: Flickr/The White House (official White House photo by Molly Riley),United States Government work
By Andrea Thompson — September 29, 2026

Over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security's X account posted in response to a news alert from the Leading Report account, an entity known for sharing misleading or blatantly false information. The Leading Report X post claimed there was a "Huge migrant caravan headed towards the US southern border."

DHS reposted this claim with a compilation video of Eagles star Brian Dawkins’ most brutal tackles in his NFL career, attempting to draw a comparison to DHS' impending treatment of immigrants. The video was set to Korn's "Blind," and the caption read, "Our time has come." Dawkins' voice can be heard in the background of the clip, saying, "The time has come."

According to new reporting from ESPN, the NFL has already called on the Department of Homeland Security to remove the video.

As of 9 a.m. CST on Tuesday, September 29th, the video remains live on the DHS X account.

ESPN also reached out to Dawkins by text, and he confirmed, "I have very respectfully not given permission."

In a video of his own posted to his X account, the NFL star echoed a very similar message, writing in the caption, "I have respectfully not given permission to anyone other than those I currently do business with to use my NIL (name, image, likeness)."

DHS spokesperson Chandler Rebel defended the Dawkins compilation video in a statement on the matter to Forbes: "DHS is playing lockdown defense at the border. We will use every Weapon at our disposal, from A to X, to keep Americans safe."

Rebel appeared to be referencing Dawkins' X-Men-inspired nickname, "Weapon X."

Earlier this year, the official Trump White House X account posted a video to social media that featured highlights of NFL and college football games mixed with footage of Donald's US strikes against Iran, set to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," with the caption, "Touchdown." The NFL did not confirm to ESPN whether it also sought removal of the video, which remains online as of today.

This is, of course, far from the first time that the Trump Administration has used material that did not belong to them, without permission from the artists or individuals, leading to a litany of takedown demands -- the likes of which include, but are not limited to, Sabrina Carpenter, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, MGMT, and even comedian Theo Von.

It seems the Trump Administration would do well to stick with Kid Rock; he's the only one left who actually likes them.

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