Overview

• The social-media message replaced a 1936 Uncle Sam cartoon’s original labels with phrases like “Law and Order,” “Invasion,” and “Cultural Decline” under the caption “Which way, American man?”
• Watchdogs including the SPLC and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs say the caption alludes to William Gayley Simpson’s 1978 white-nationalist book Which Way, Western Man, which advocates exclusion and violence against Jews and other groups
• Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied any link to extremist material, questioning where the agency had “quoted a white supremacist” and calling the coverage embarrassing
• Some analysts counter that the phrase has entered internet meme culture stripped of its original context, highlighting the dispute over intent and interpretation
• The broader ICE recruitment campaign has drawn over 100,000 applicants and more than $30 billion in hiring funds, and stakeholders are demanding clarity on DHS’s social-media strategy