Japanese graphic designer and illustrator Hiroshi Nagai has protested the Department of Homeland Security’s use of one of his artworks.
A New Year’s Eve post on DHS’ X account featured a painting from Nagai’s “Beachcomber” series, showing a classic American car on a beach as a wave heads toward the shore.
“The peace of a nation is no longer besieged by the Third World,” the post reads. The description of the painting: “America After 100 Million Deportations.”
Nagai, 78, who is known for his cover designs of city pop albums in the 1980s, posted on X, “The image is being used without permission. What should I do about this?”
In response to the complaint, a DHS spokesperson told The Independent and other news organizations that the agency “will continue using every tool at its disposal to keep the American people informed as our agents work to Make America Safe Again.”
Several artists have condemned the Trump Administration for using their works without permission to promote its agenda, among them artist Morgan Weistling and the family of artist Thomas Kinkade; singers Sabrina Carpenter and SZA; the publisher of the “Franklin the Turtle” children’s books; and the “Pokemon” franchise, whose slogan “Gotta catch ’em all” was turned into an anti-immigrant meme.
According to The Independent, before Christmas DHS shared the message “We are blessed to share a nation and a savior” with a video of American Christmas imagery scored by the 1983 song “Christmas Eve” by Tatsuro Yamashita.