A satirical protest song that imagines a recruitment pitch to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). See also Good vs. Ice.
Jesse Welles
A satirical protest song that imagines a recruitment pitch to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). See also Good vs. Ice.
Well, if you're looking for purpose in the current circus,
If you're seeking respect and attention,
If you're in need of a gig that'll help you feel big, come with me.
Put some folks in detention.
Just last week was kind of rough.
I put a kid in cuffs and zip tied a woman to a van.
We can sneak around town hunting working folks down.
I hear they get a great benefit plan.
Join ICE. Boy, ain't it nice?
Join ICE. Take my advice.
If you're lacking control and authority,
Come with me and hunt down minorities.
Join ICE.
Well, I failed the academy.
The cops weren't having me.
The army didn't sound that fun,
So I found me a paramililitary operation
That was keen to hand me a gun.
See, I got picked on in school.
I never felt that cool.
There's a hole in my soul that just rages.
All the women turned me down.
They told me I was a clown.
Well, won't you look at me now?
I'm putting folks in cages at ICE.
They got great hours.
Join ICE for respect and power.
They got a sign on bonus of 50 grand.
They're in need of you needing to feel like a man.
Join ICE.
Join ICE.
The song is tied to current events and the political climate around immigration. Under Donald Trump, immigration policy has become more aggressive, performative, and punitive, with ICE elevated as a symbol of “strength” while humanitarian concerns are dismissed. Join ICE reflects the moment where cruelty was reframed as enforcement and slogans replaced solutions as a satirical protest song framed as a recruitment pitch for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). By adopting the voice of someone encouraging others to “join,” the song exposes the moral emptiness behind the sales pitch.
The enthusiasm is intentionally uncomfortable. The job is presented as a source of power, belonging, and purpose for someone who feels overlooked, insecure, or resentful. The satire lets that motivation speak for itself.
ICE represents modern immigration enforcement in the U.S., particularly detention and deportation. The song exposes the agency less as a public service and more as an outlet for authority, control, and misplaced anger.
Like other songs in this set, Join ICE strips away polite language and exposes what’s underneath — how institutions can turn personal grievance into sanctioned harm, and sell it as opportunity.
“run by a mediocre soldier quasi-general-ass” — The Department of War by Jesse Welles
© Woah!
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