Key members of the original Halo development team have strongly criticized the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) use of imagery from Microsoft’s popular first-person shooter, Halo, in recruitment ads for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One developer explicitly stated, “it makes me sick” to see their work used in this context.
This controversy follows a previous incident where the White House utilized an AI-generated image depicting Donald Trump as Master Chief, saluting in front of an American flag missing several stars. This image quickly went viral, attracting millions of views.
The backdrop for these events is Microsoft’s recent announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the 2001 classic Halo: Combat Evolved. This upcoming title, set for a 2026 release on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5, marks the first time a Halo game will be available on a PlayStation console, highlighting Microsoft’s evolving multiplatform strategy.
The Trump administration escalated its use of Halo imagery when the Department of Homeland Security posted a social media ad, now viewed millions of times, urging recruits to “destroy the Flood” and join the “finishing this fight.” These phrases directly reference Halo’s parasitic alien enemy, the Flood, and its long-standing slogan. Critics argue that this phrasing draws a disturbing parallel between the game’s monstrous antagonists and immigrants targeted for deportation by ICE.
While Microsoft has remained officially silent on the issue, original Halo: Combat Evolved art director Marcus Lehto voiced his outrage in an interview. He condemned the ICE post as “absolutely abhorrent,” expressing that “It really makes me sick seeing Halo co-opted like this.”
Fellow lead developer Jaime Griesemer, instrumental in designing Halo’s iconic gameplay, also took issue with the ICE advertisement, though he was less concerned about the initial Trump-as-Master-Chief image. Griesemer asserted, “Using Halo imagery in a call to ‘destroy’ people because of their immigration status goes way too far, and ought to offend every Halo fan, regardless of political orientation.” He firmly declared, “I personally find it despicable. The Flood are evil space zombie parasites and are not an allegory to any group of people.”
Griesemer further clarified that while Halo’s rich world might invite interpretation, it was “NOT written as an allegory to any specific religion or political party or movement.” He emphasized, “The Prophets are not Popes, the Grunts are not Wahhabis, and the Flood are definitely not illegal immigrants. The Master Chief is not a Christ figure and Cortana is not the Virgin Mary, I guess?”
Regarding the White House’s use of the Trump-as-Master-Chief meme, White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai claimed it symbolized Trump’s supposed success in ending “another war,” specifically the “console war.” Desai stated, “Yet another war ended under President Trump’s watch — only one leader is fully committed to giving power to the players, and that leader is Donald J. Trump. That’s why he’s hugely popular with the American people and American Gamers.”
Microsoft’s lack of official comment contrasts sharply with The Pokémon Company’s response to a similar incident. When DHS used Pokémon’s Ash Ketchum and theme music in a video depicting arrests, The Pokémon Company International swiftly issued a statement. They clarified, “Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property.”
The question of whether Microsoft can take legal action against the Trump administration for using Halo for promotion remains complex. Despite calls from fans for The Pokémon Company to sue in their case, a former legal chief for the corporation advised against it. He explained that many executives in the U.S. were on green cards and the company generally preferred to avoid publicity, anticipating such controversies would quickly fade. This suggests a similar reluctance might apply to Microsoft.
The Trump administration has a documented history of using AI-generated images for presidential promotion. Previous instances include an AI image of Trump as the Pope, which caused backlash among Catholics, and depictions of him as Superman and a Star Wars Jedi. When the Department of Homeland Security used South Park to promote ICE, the creators of South Park famously trolled Trump in response, questioning their sudden “relevance.”