Claim:
In 2025, streaming service Spotify ran recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rating:
Context
A Spotify spokesperson confirmed that at least one ICE recruitment advertisement appeared on the platform, adding that the advertising “is part of a broad campaign the US government is running” across multiple platforms — not just Spotify. The content does not violate Spotify’s advertising policies, the spokesperson said.
In October 2025, social media users resurfaced a rumor that music streaming service Spotify was allowing recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on its platform, sparking widespread demands by some users for people to cancel their subscriptions.
Record labels and musicians were among those amplifying the claim. For example, on Oct. 16, Epitaph Records posted the following message on Facebook (archived):
Epitaph joins others in the independent music community in calling on Spotify to remove ICE recruitment ads.
Artists and fans deserve platforms that reflect the values of the culture they sustain.
We call on Spotify to remove these ads immediately.
In the caption of its post, Epitaph added: “Same goes for Meta, YouTube, Pandora, et al.”
Similar claims about Spotify running ICE recruitment ads circulated on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. Multiple Snopes readers also searched our website to verify the claims.
A Spotify spokesperson confirmed in an emailed statement to Snopes that at least one ICE recruitment advertisement appeared on the platform in 2025. Based on this confirmation, we’ve rated this claim as true.
According to the spokesperson, the advertising “is part of a broad campaign the US government is running” across various platforms — not just Spotify. The content complies with Spotify’s advertising policies (archived), the spokesperson added.
Meta, Pandora, YouTube, HBO Max and Hulu were allegedly among the other platforms that also ran ICE recruitment advertisements in 2025, social media posts claimed. Some Pandora users posted complaints about such ads on the streaming service’s online community forum. An August 2025 article (archived) from British newspaper The Independent also reported that ICE was, at the time, planning to launch recruitment ads on Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube and other platforms.
Snopes reached out to the above companies for comment. A spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, directed us to ICE recruitment ads that were available to view in its Ads Transparency Center (archived). The earliest ads listed were from late August 2025, with the most recent at the time of publication dated Oct. 20, 2025.
At the time of publication, Meta’s Ad Library also displayed (archived) multiple ICE recruitment advertisements that had launched in August and September 2025. We contacted Meta for comment on how the ads aligned with its advertising policies and will update this story if we receive a response.
The other companies had not responded to our requests for comment as of this writing.
In our inquiry to Spotify, we asked the platform to confirm whether it was running ads for ICE and to provide additional context regarding its decision to accept such advertising. A spokesperson provided the following statement in response:
This advertisement is part of a broad campaign the US government is running across television, streaming, and online channels. The content does not violate our advertising policies. However, users can mark any ad with a thumbs up or thumbs down to help manage their ads preferences.
We also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, about the recruitment ads. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant DHS secretary, responded with a statement acknowledging 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.
Additionally, Spotify pointed us to The Trade Desk, a platform that helps advertisers place ads across websites and apps, which it said was responsible for delivering the ads in question. We’ve contacted The Trade Desk with questions about the advertisements and await a response.
Users share purported ICE ads running on Spotify
Spotify users made posts about the advertisements on the company’s online public forum and on social media, with some posts including recordings that appeared to come directly from the app.
One TikTok user shared (archived) a recording of a purported ICE recruitment ad that appeared to originate from Spotify. The purported ad stated, “In too many cities, dangerous illegals walk free as police are forced to stand down. Join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst, with bonuses up to $50,000 and generous benefits. Apply now.”
ICE recruiting ads in Google’s Ad Transparency Center (archived) and Meta’s Ad Library (archived) used identical language.
Another purported ad (archived) with similar messaging that appeared to originate from Spotify also promoted bonuses of up to $50,000 and “generous benefits.”
In response to a question about ICE and Border Patrol recruitment ads posed on the streaming service’s online community forum, one user also wrote, “Can confirm. Just heard it. ‘Fulfill your mission to protect America. Join at Join.Ice.Gov.'”
