The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security has found itself in a dispute with both the NFL and one of the league’s most celebrated former defensive players after using Brian Dawkins footage in a video promoting its border enforcement message. The clip showed the former Philadelphia Eagles star’s famous pregame entrance before cutting to a series of hard tackles from his NFL career.
According to the Irish Star, the footage was used after reports circulated online about a purported group of migrants travelling towards the United States’ southern border. DHS captioned its post, “Our time has come”, echoing the phrase associated with Dawkins’ pregame entrance.
NFL asks for video to be removed
The league subsequently intervened and asked the federal department to delete the video. “The league has requested the DHS take down the video,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said, according to the Associated Press. The request put the league publicly at odds with the use of its footage in the government’s immigration messaging.
Dawkins also made clear that he had not approved the use of his likeness. As quoted by Yahoo Sports, the former safety wrote on X: “I have respectfully not given permission to anyone other than those I currently do business with to use my NIL. Be Blessed!”
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He later addressed the situation in a video, stressing again that he had not authorized anyone outside his existing business relationships to use his name, image or likeness. His response did not directly engage with the administration’s immigration policy, instead focusing on the use of his identity and football career in the DHS post.
DHS defends its border message
DHS did not back away from the broader message behind the post. In a statement quoted by CBS News Philadelphia, the department said Border Patrol was “playing lockdown defense at the border. We will use every Weapon at our disposal, from A to X, to keep Americans safe.”
The department said U.S. Border Patrol was actively tracking a group of migrants travelling from Honduras, although its response did not address the NFL’s request to remove the Dawkins footage. The original social-media post had used football imagery to connect Dawkins’ physical style of play with the administration’s approach to border enforcement.
It is not the first time sports footage has appeared in Trump administration messaging. Earlier in 2026, the White House used NFL and college football clips in a separate social-media video following U.S. strikes on Iran, including footage from a Philadelphia Eagles game.
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Dawkins remains one of Philadelphia’s most celebrated players
Dawkins spent 16 seasons in the NFL, playing for the Eagles from 1996 to 2008 before finishing his career with three seasons in Denver. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was selected to nine Pro Bowls, earned five first-team All-Pro selections and recorded 37 interceptions during his career.
His final NFL season came with the Broncos in 2011, but he formally announced his retirement on April 23, 2012, before later signing a one-day contract to retire as an Eagle. Philadelphia eventually retired his No. 20 jersey, while Dawkins was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018.
The dispute now centres less on Dawkins’ playing career than on who has the right to use its imagery. With both Dawkins and the NFL publicly objecting, the episode has created an unusual collision between professional football, intellectual-property concerns and the Trump administration’s immigration messaging.
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