By Steve Neavling
The Department of Homeland Security is facing criticism for using a phrase linked to a white supremacist in a social media post recruiting immigration enforcement agents.
On Monday, the agency’s account on X posted “Which way, American man?” alongside a 1936 illustration of Uncle Sam at a crossroads. The phrase appears in Which Way, Western Man, a 1978 book by avowed white supremacist William Gayley Simpson, who argued Hitler was right and that Jews should be killed. The book was published by the National Alliance, a neo-Nazi group.
“This administration has made a point of further normalizing explicit extremism—from dangerous conspiracy theories and rhetoric, to the appointment of officials with deep extremist ties, to dehumanizing policies,” Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, told Newsweek.
Asked whether the person who posted the phrase knew its origin, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded: “Where are we quoting a white supremacist? This is so embarrassing for Newsweek.”
Simpson’s book, widely condemned as racist and antisemitic, calls for expelling all Jewish, Asian and Black people from the U.S. and praises Hitler’s actions before World War II. Critics say the administration’s use of the phrase is another example of sharing online memes and trends that supporters view as savvy but opponents see as racist dog whistles.
