US Homeland Security Uses Japanese Artist's Painting Without Permission in Social Media Post

On December 31, 2025, the United States Department of Homeland Security posted an image on its official X account that featured an altered version of a 2017 painting by Japanese artist Hiroshi Nagai. The artwork, from Nagai's Beachcomber series, was cropped and overlaid with text referencing mass deportations. The artist, age 78, stated the use was unauthorized and that he did not endorse the political message attached to his work. This incident follows previous criticism of the agency for using copyrighted material without permission in its social media communications. The post remains online with a community note acknowledging the lack of permission, but the image has not been removed.