Rage Against the Machine guitarist and activist Tom Morello has renewed his long-standing critique of U.S. political leadership after spotting a controversial phrase on a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) podium during a press conference. The event came one day after a fatal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shooting in Minneapolis, a case that has sparked massive protests and deepening national debate over immigration enforcement.
Morello took to social media on January 12, 2026, calling out what he described as the use of a “Nazi mass murder slogan” being displayed prominently on the podium behind DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at a press briefing. While the slogan’s use has inflamed political tensions, fact-checkers note that the specific phrase itself is not documented as an actual historical Nazi slogan, even though critics say it evokes the concept of collective punishment associated with Nazi policies.
The Phrase That Sparked the Controversy
Photos and video from the Jan. 8 press conference show the words “One of ours, all of yours” printed across the front of Noem’s podium as she addressed reporters about federal immigration enforcement operations. Numerous public figures and commentators, led by Morello, seized on the wording, arguing that it conjures images of extremist rhetoric and punishment of entire groups in response to individual acts.
Morello wrote on Instagram that the phrase was used—he claims verbatim—in a historical context where the Nazis responded to the death of one of their own by executing entire populations of civilians. He framed the occurrence as a stark moral issue for supporters of the current administration, writing: “If there are any MAGA left after THIS, you have made an irrevocable choice.”
Morello’s Political Legacy and Motivations
Morello’s response was consistent with his decades-long political engagement. As the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and a solo performer (including under the moniker The Nightwatchman), he has been outspoken on issues ranging from war to economic inequality to immigration policy. His activism has included protest songs and public appearances at demonstrations against perceived government overreach.
In a recent example of that activism, Morello released the protest song “Pretend You Remember Me” in 2025, directly responding to federal immigration raids and broader enforcement actions he described as “state terror.”
The Broader Political Context: Minneapolis ICE Shooting
The DHS press conference that featured the controversial slogan took place against the backdrop of intense public anger over the Jan. 7, 2026 shooting of 37-year-old Renae Macklin-Good (also reported as Renee Good) by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The incident — captured on video and widely shared online — has been met with large protests in Minnesota and across the country, with demonstrators chanting anti-ICE slogans and calling for accountability.
Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, sharply criticized ICE and DHS, publicly denouncing federal immigration agents and demanding their withdrawal from the city. Minnesota’s attorney general and city leadership have since taken legal action to curb federal immigration enforcement operations, framing them as unconstitutional and harmful to communities.
This tense environment has amplified reactions to nearly every federal communication on immigration, making even symbolic details—like podium slogans—flashpoints in broader debates over civil rights, federal authority, and public safety.
Official Reactions and Pushback
In response to Morello’s accusation, the Department of Homeland Security pushed back against characterizations of the podium message as fascist propaganda. A DHS representative told Billboard that “calling everything you dislike ‘Nazi propaganda’ is tiresome” and emphasized the department’s intent to “keep the public informed” about its efforts to enforce immigration laws.
At the same time, historians and fact-checkers have clarified that while the slogan in question appeared visually at the press conference, it is not a verified Nazi quote in documented propaganda or directives, even though critics say it alludes to the broader historical practice of collective punishment used by many authoritarian regimes.
Morello’s call-out taps into deep cultural and political fault lines in the United States, where debates over immigration enforcement, federal power, civil liberties, and historical memory converge. Whether or not the slogan’s alleged origin is accurate, its use at a high-profile federal briefing following a controversial shooting has become a symbol — for some — of how language and imagery in politics can resonate far beyond their original intent.
For critics like Morello, the incident is not just about words on a podium but about the meaning behind them: a perceived drift toward punitive policies and rhetoric that echo the darkest chapters of history.
