The NFL and Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins requested on Monday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remove a social media video featuring highlights of his football career. The video, which includes footage of Dawkins making high-impact tackles, was posted by DHS in reference to reports of a migrant caravan moving toward the U.S. southern border. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed the league's request for the post's removal.
The DHS video was posted on Sunday and shows Dawkins' pregame walkout with his chant, "The time has come," followed by clips of tackles. The agency captioned the post "Our time has come" in response to social media accounts reporting a migrant caravan. Dawkins, who retired in 2011 after 16 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos, told ESPN via text that he did not grant permission for his image to be used by the department.
In a statement, the DHS said the U.S. Border Patrol is "actively tracking" a group of migrants from Honduras. The agency used football terminology to describe its operations, stating it is "playing lockdown defense" at the border. As of Monday evening, the DHS had not addressed the NFL's specific request for removal, and the video remained active on its social media account.
The incident follows a similar 2025 situation where the DHS used an AI-generated image of a car featuring the number of Mexican IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward to promote an immigration detention center, which also drew objections from the athlete and his racing series. No formal deadlines for the video's removal have been established.