DHS: seal redesign and 'at war' messaging

Case

In September 2026, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the department's seal will be redesigned so its eagle faces arrows rather than an olive branch/palm -

Seal redesign
In September 2026, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the department's seal will be redesigned so its eagle faces arrows rather than an olive branch/palm - Mullin said the palm 'represents peace,' while facing the arrows 'signals war,' and described DHS as an agency 'at war every single day' against terrorists, cartels, and cyberattackers. No effective date or official document detailing the redesign had been provided as of the report.

Social media messaging pattern
DHS has repeatedly posted content using World War II-era propaganda imagery, including an 'Uncle Sam' poster urging people to 'report all foreign invaders' to ICE, and a 1943 U.S. Capitol image captioned 'We Can Return,' posted after Trump said he would rid Washington, DC of 'Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum.'
In January 2026, DHS posted an ICE recruitment ad captioned 'WE'LL HAVE OUR HOME AGAIN,' a phrase from a song popularized by white nationalist groups including the Proud Boys; then-DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin denied any such connection. The post drew wide press coverage and was later removed. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism reported similar imagery resumed after Mullin's appointment as DHS Secretary in mid-March 2026.
A UC Berkeley public law professor, Ian Haney Lopez, described DHS's 'heritage'/'homeland' messaging as 'an active effort to promote lies designed to create fear and hysteria,' saying it was most reminiscent of 'demagogic eras' in other countries rather than prior U.S. propaganda efforts. The Southern Poverty Law Center's Hatewatch project quoted a social-justice group director saying the posts are 'not only intended to recruit staff but to normalize the dehumanization of immigrants.'

Note
DHS denies any white-nationalist intent and describes the imagery as ordinary recruitment and security messaging.

Sources
[1] CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/13/politics/homeland-security-department-social-media)
[2] Yahoo/AP (https://www.yahoo.com/news/dhs-sends-provocative-poster-143430525.html)
[3] The Dregs Report, citing Fox News (https://thedregsreport.com/2026/09/08/dhs-seal-will-face-arrows-as-markwayne-mullin-cites-changing-daily-threats/)
[4] SPLC (https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/dhs-white-nationalist-anti-immigrant-social-media/)
[5] Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (https://globalextremism.org/post/dhs-continues-to-post-white-supremacist-and-christian-nationalist-content/)

Connections

Same context — America.gov launch and the 'Super Intelligence' AI rename (Sept. 2026)
Both are September 2026 rebranding of federal identity and official messaging.

Shared mechanism — Antifa terrorist designation and NSPM-7 domestic terrorism memo
Both use official platforms/government mechanisms (executive orders, memos, social media) to advance fabricated or viewpoint-based framing of political opponents.

Related — Renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario
Both are symbolic/branding actions (renaming, seal redesign) examined for their messaging function.