The NFL spent Super Bowl season booking Bad Bunny as their answer to Trump while only 16% of Republicans approved.
Now DHS turned their own footage into a border security war cry – and the league wants it gone.
When the NFL demanded DHS pull the Weapon X video, they got back exactly one word.
DHS Deploys Philadelphia Eagles Legend Weapon X Against the Migrant Caravan
A migrant caravan of more than 600 people – from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Haiti – resumed marching north through Mexico toward the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security had the perfect answer.
They posted a 39-second highlight reel of Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins – nine-time Pro Bowler, Philadelphia Eagles legend, nicknamed "Weapon X" – set to Korn's "Blind," captioned "Our time has come."
The video racked up eight million views.
DHS threaded a second post – Dawkins framed in white smoke during his tunnel entrance, captioned with three words: "The Border Is Closed."
The NFL was not amused.
"The league has requested the DHS take down the video," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Dawkins posted his own video statement saying he never gave permission for his name, image, or likeness to be used.
"Take a deep breath," he said. "Y'all be blessed."
DHS didn't blink.
Their spokesperson fired back: "DHS is playing lockdown defense at the border. We will use every Weapon at our disposal, from A to X, to keep Americans safe."
Then DHS General Counsel James Percival posted a Bugs Bunny meme with puckered lips.
It said: "No."
https://twitter.com/DHSGenCounsel/status/2104662092645015600
The NFL That Knelt for BLM Now Wants Homeland Security to Stand Down
This is the same NFL that spent the 2026 Super Bowl season refusing to remove Bad Bunny from the halftime show despite a Republican senator calling it "the woke bowl" and only 16% of Republicans approving of the pick.
The same league that let MoveOn petition its headquarters demanding it oppose Trump's immigration enforcement heading into the big game.
The same organization that spent two years plastering "End Racism" in end zones and letting players kneel through the National Anthem.
Now they're furious that DHS used their footage to say the border is closed.
The caravan they're implicitly defending – 600-plus people from five countries – departed San Pedro Sula, Honduras on September 20th.
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis made the administration's position clear: "The message to the caravan is you will not be allowed into our country. Our border is closed to lawbreakers. President Trump delivered the most secure border in history and has had 16 months of zero releases at the border."
"Any illegal aliens who pay cartels to smuggle them in the United States should expect the same outcome: arrest, prosecution where appropriate, and immediate deportation."
The NFL wants none of that energy on their platform.
Why the NFL Has No Legal Move Against DHS on Border Security
DHS used a football legend's highlight reel to send a border security message, and the NFL's attempt to shut it down handed the story to every outlet in America.
The league has no legal move here – courts can't force an injunction on the federal government, so they're stuck asking nicely.
That's the bitter irony. The NFL spent years turning player activism into a brand asset – BLM end zones, social justice helmet decals, Kaepernick tributes at midfield.
They had no objection to politics on their platform when it ran in one direction. Now DHS borrowed their footage to say the border is closed and suddenly the league found its principles.
They took a beloved Hall of Famer's most iconic moments, connected them to a concrete border security win – 16 months with zero releases, a closed border, a caravan that isn't getting in – and made it impossible for the NFL to stay out of immigration politics without looking like hypocrites.
DHS told them exactly what Brian Dawkins used to tell wide recievers crossing the middle of the field.
No.
Sources:
- DHS Spokesperson Statement, Department of Homeland Security, September 28, 2026.
- Lauren Bis, "White House Statement on Migrant Caravan," Newsweek, September 28, 2026.
- Brian McCarthy, "NFL Requests DHS Remove Brian Dawkins Video," Front Office Sports, September 28, 2026.
- "Humorless NFL Requests DHS Remove Video of Brian Dawkins Mauling Dudes; DHS: Nah," Daily Wire, September 29, 2026.
- "NFL Asks DHS to Remove Eagles Legend Brian Dawkins Video from X Post," Fox 29, September 28, 2026.
- "Trump Administration Probably Can Use NFL Footage Without Permission, an Expert Says," The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 29, 2026.