Fact Check: Did Spotify run recruitment ads for ICE?
WASHINGTON, DC: In September and October 2025, social media users claimed that Spotify, the popular music streaming platform, was running recruitment ads for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The allegations led to calls for a boycott, with some users canceling their subscriptions. These claims surfaced amid renewed immigration enforcement efforts under Donald Trump’s administration.
Claim: Spotify ran recruitment ads for ICE
On September 29, a TikTok user said she was listening to the free version of Spotify when she heard an advertisement stating, “Millions of dangerous illegals are rampaging the streets. Join ICE today.”
“@Spotify This was gross. I don’t wanna be recruited while I’m listening to music and I DEFINITELY don’t wanna hear about ICE,” the user wrote in her post’s caption.
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Spotify has reportedly been running ICE recruitment advertisements in the US. pic.twitter.com/HumvkWJSAF
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 13, 2025
Similar complaints appeared on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter), with users claiming they encountered the same ad while using Spotify.
Fact Check: Spotify spokesperson confirmed at least one ICE ad aired
A Spotify spokesperson confirmed to Snopes that at least one ICE recruitment advertisement appeared on the platform in 2025, verifying that the claim was true.
According to the spokesperson, the ad was “part of a broad campaign the US government is running” across multiple platforms, not just Spotify, and it complied with Spotify’s advertising policies.
Pandora, YouTube, HBO Max, and Hulu have all reportedly run ICE recruitment advertisements on their platforms. pic.twitter.com/HA6yXUWNYp
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 14, 2025
According to a post on X, Pandora, YouTube, HBO Max, and Hulu were allegedly among the other platforms that also ran ICE recruitment advertisements, which prompted some users on Pandora to complain about such ads on the streaming service's online community forum.
An article published in The Independent in August also reported that ICE was planning to launch recruitment ads on Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube, and other platforms.
DHS acknowledged the ICE recruitment campaign
Snopes also contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, about the recruitment ads. In response, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the agency’s recruitment campaign.
“The ICE recruitment campaign is a resounding success, with more than 150,000 applications rolling in from patriotic Americans answering the call to defend the homeland by helping arrest and remove the worst of the worst from our country,” McLaughlin said in a statement.
