FFRF Action Fund names the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as its “Theocrat of the Week” for its over-the-top social media postsdepicting bible verses and Christian crosses, fueling the Trump administration’s Christian nationalism and the myth that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.
Throughout April, the DHS has repeatedly highlighted different bible verses on its official social media profiles. On April 12, DHS proclaimed over social media “One Homeland Under God,” illustrated by the image of a Christian church and a cross. Its caption read: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people who he hath chosen for his own inheritance.—Psalm 33:12” and “May God continue to shed his grace on our great nation.”
On April 19, DHS posted yet another “One Homeland Under God” illustration with a church and cross, with the caption, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. —Proverbs 3:5-6.” The post also professed: “One nation under God.”
This pattern of DHS promoting Christianity through its official communications is longstanding. In August 2025, FFRF Action Fund’s parent organization, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, called out DHS for using bible verses in its social media posts to portray its extreme immigration enforcement activities as divinely ordained. Throughout the summer, the agency released multiple promotional videos featuring bible quotes and references to “manifest destiny,” the idea that colonists had a divine mandate to expand across North America by invading native lands.
On July 7, DHS posted a video showing Border Patrol activity with a voiceover quoting a portion of Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ I said, ‘Here am I, send me.’” The biblical passage depicts Isaiah expressing his readiness to serve as god’s messenger, tying Border Patrol activity to a divine purpose.
Another video post from DHS announced the U.S. Coast Guard’s Force Design 2028, a plan supposedly aimed at protecting the United States from attacks by “nations and criminals that seek to sabotage infrastructure,” in which then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was shown addressing Coast Guard officers while invoking scripture. In quoting a portion of Proverbs 29:18, Noem professed, “We all know that Scriptures tell us that without a vision, the people perish. You are people who are stepping into a time of consequence. You will be people of significance.”
The deliberate centering of Christianity by the U.S. government, weaving a false Christian narrative into American history and society, is utterly unacceptable under our constitutional principle of separation between state and church. The explicit religious messaging in DHS’ official communications demonstrates the theocratic Christian nationalism fueling the Trump administration. DHS and all governmental agencies have a constitutional duty to refrain from misusing official communications to promote their personal brand of Christianity in a secular nation where all citizens are supposed to be equal under the law.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.