The Department of Homeland Security distributed a nationwide alert to law enforcement about Ben Palmer, a Nashville-based standup comedian whose satirical website mimicking an Immigration and Customs Enforcement tip line has drawn millions of views online.
The DHS bulletin, known as a "Be on the Lookout" or Bolo, was issued by the department's Nashville field office in February. Palmer's parody site tricks callers into thinking they are reporting undocumented immigrants to the government, then he records their responses for comedic videos that have gone viral on TikTok and YouTube.
The alert circulated after a kindergarten teacher reported one of her student's parents to Palmer's fake tip page, believing she was contacting federal authorities. That incident prompted a Washington Post profile of Palmer that drew national attention to his prank operation.
The Illinois State Police shared the federal Bolo with law enforcement agencies statewide. The alert was obtained by Injustice Watch, a Chicago-based nonprofit, through a public records request. It remains unclear how widely other departments across the country have received the alert.
Palmer's website uses language such as "official report form" and claims reports are "submitted through official federal channels," but includes a disclaimer in its privacy policy stating the site is "for parody." The comedian does not claim to work for ICE.
Notably, the DHS alert itself acknowledged that Palmer posed no threat. "At this time, there appears to be no direct threat to life or infrastructure," the document stated.
A DHS spokesperson pushed back on the characterization of the Bolo as an investigation. "There is no 'investigation' into this individual. This document is an internal memo shared for awareness purposes only," the spokesperson said via email, adding that it was intended to alert "law enforcement and civilians" about potential impersonators of federal officials.
Palmer said he was unaware of the alert until Injustice Watch informed him. Rather than expressing alarm, he characterized it as a professional achievement. "To be honest, for me, it's the best of both worlds. I don't get arrested but I still get to say that the Department of Homeland Security created a document about me," he said. "In my line of work I always look at these things as more like certificates, badges of honor."
He also acknowledged the absurdity of the government's response. "The government wastes a lot of time in tax dollars, for sure, but when you have your own little section on that, it's kind of like, I feel honored," Palmer added.
Darius Reeves, a retired ICE field office director, said Bolos are typically reserved for serious threats and usually contain language such as "considered armed and dangerous" or "approach with caution." He found it unusual that one would be issued for a comedian, even one operating a fake tip line.
The Illinois Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center distributed the alert "for situational awareness purposes." Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly did not respond to questions about the decision, but agency spokesperson Melaney Arnold said the terrorism center "routinely and quickly disseminates information" from other agencies "with the understanding that the originating agencies have done their investigative due diligence."
Palmer is not the first comedy-minded critic of immigration enforcement to draw DHS attention. Earlier this year, federal officers detained musician and comedian Rob Potylo while he wore a giraffe costume during an ICE protest in Minneapolis. Potylo was also detained in Portland last year. In 2018, DHS agents visited the Brooklyn home of comedian Jake Flores after he posted satirical tweets about ICE.
Esha Bhandari, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said the pattern suggests DHS is targeting private citizens critical of the agency. "By taking any official law enforcement action against someone, that they're intending to scare people away from speaking out against them," Bhandari said.
Palmer now seeks support from First Amendment attorneys but says the alert won't stop his work. "I don't want to get arrested," he said, "but it would be nice to have a footnote in the history of comedy."
Author James Rodriguez: "A Bolo on a prank artist isn't the hardest reach DHS has made, but turning a fake tip line into a national law enforcement alert does feel like the government is doing the comedian's marketing work for him."
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