ICE just spent $6.5 million on recruitment ads during NFL and college football broadcasts to make America immigrant-free.
The Trump administration is hitting prime time hard: Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, and Bowl games. All are targeted with 30-second spots aimed at building up the agency’s roster to fulfill Donald Trump’s initiative to make America great again.
The $6.5 million represents just a fraction of the $76.5 billion budget Trump requested for ICE. The goal is to hire more agents quickly and reach people who support rigid border rules.
ICE Reportedly Going After Football Fans Under Donald Trump’s Million Dollar MAGA Plan
Atlanta saw the heaviest ad spending in recent weeks, topping $947,000. Chicago, Seattle, and Salt Lake City also got blitzed with recruitment pitches during games. ICE spent the money in cities the Trump administration labeled uncooperative with deportation efforts.
The spots look straight out of military recruitment playbooks. Bold visuals. Urgent language. National security messaging. They’ve also run during UFC, WWE, and WNBA broadcasts depending on location.
U.S. taxpayers have shelled out $6.5 million so far for ICE TV ads during college football games (via John Ourand’s Puck newsletter) pic.twitter.com/ULESduAsLI
— Nick Field (@nick_field90) October 14, 2025
Critics call it politically charged government messaging disguised as career advertising. Football is supposed to be a neutral zone where politics take a back seat to touchdowns and tailgates.
But ICE has aired ads on TV saying, “You took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your city, safe. But in sanctuary cities, you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free.”
It specifically targets cops frustrated with local sanctuary policies. Join federal enforcement. Get paid well. Make a difference. That’s the pitch to officers who feel handcuffed by city leaders.
The campaign is directly related to Trump’s broader immigration crackdown. More agents mean more enforcement, which means more deportations. It is altogether a simple math.
Is This Initiative Connected to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show?
Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski confirmed ICE will be present at the February Super Bowl, where Bad Bunny is headlining the halftime show. Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican superstar, was just named the halftime performer.
Days later, ICE confirmed agents will be working to “find you and apprehend you and put you in a detention facility and deport you,” per Lewandowski. To make it worse, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blasted the NFL’s choice, saying they “won’t be able to sleep at night” over picking Bad Bunny.
Whether ICE’s recruitment blitz and Super Bowl plans connect directly remains unclear. But the optics are hard to ignore because it all happened within weeks of each other.