Group Launches Ad Asking ICE Agents To ‘Walk Away’

Beginning this week and running through Thanksgiving, new television ads will air across the country that directly challenge Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and respond to Governor Kristi Noem’s recent national recruitment campaign.

One of the ads features a young girl quietly coloring while a Kristi Noem speech plays in the background. As the speech continues, the girl’s father arrives home from work in an ICE uniform. She runs to him, hugs him, and asks, “How was your day?” The screen then fades to black with the message, “What will you tell her?”

Another ad shows a masked ICE agent breaking windows, followed by footage of families being separated and detained. The ad then cuts to a line that reads, “A mask can’t hide you from your neighbors, your children,” while showing video clips of crying children. It ends with the same young girl’s voice asking again, “Daddy, how was your day?” and the words “What will you say?”

These advertisements were organized by Women’s March and Women’s March WIN. According to a press release, the goal of the campaign is to speak to ICE agents who may be struggling with guilt or burnout and to provide what they describe as a more human and emotional counterpoint to the agency’s recruitment efforts. ICE has reportedly faced growing resignations and lower morale in recent months.

Rachel O’Leary Carmona, Executive Director of Women’s March, said in a statement that ICE is attempting to grow its ranks quickly “without fixing what’s broken.” She added that the ads are designed to show the public the potential impacts of expanding the agency and to encourage agents to reflect on the effects of their work on American communities.

These ads will air in several major markets, including Palm Beach, Florida — near former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home — and will appear on Fox News, a channel widely viewed by conservative audiences. Florida currently has more local agencies working with ICE than any other state.

The campaign comes at a time when several reports have shown aggressive ICE enforcement actions under the Trump administration. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a U.S. citizen was allegedly arrested by masked ICE agents at a shopping center. Other recent enforcement activities reportedly include breaking car windows, entering workplaces, and detaining people during immigration appointments or green card interviews. Advocates say many of these individuals are in complex legal status situations and should not have been taken into custody.