Halo developers have spoken out against the US government after it compared immigrants to a species-devouring alien parasite from the series.

The Department of Homeland Security took to X/Twitter on Monday (27 October) morning urging people to help “destroy the flood” with a post inspired by the video game franchise.

The post features a screenshot from Halo: Combat Evolved showing the game’s protagonist, Master Chief, driving a Warthog, with the text “Destroy the Flood” and a link to the Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s sign-up page.

Finishing this fight. pic.twitter.com/6Ezq9NUqMq

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 27, 2025

The Flood are a race of fictional parasitic aliens from the Halo series. Driven by a desire to assimilate all life-forms into mutant Flood creatures, the race acts as the primary antagonists of the series.

In the series, the Flood ravage most of the known galaxy and threaten all life in the universe. The Forerunners, a now extinct race of aliens, create superweapons known as Halos which, if activate, kill all sentient life in the galaxy.

On the same day, the White House’s official X/Twitter page responded to a post by gaming retailer GameStop, who jokingly declared an end to the “console wars,” sharing an AI-generated image of US president Donald Trump, dressed in Master Chief’s Mark VII armour and saluting the US flag, complete with the caption: “Power to the players.”

The posts were, unsurprisingly, deplored by the game’s veteran developers. Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto called the appropriation of his work “absolutely abhorrent,” adding in a statement to Game File: “It really makes me sick seeing Halo co-opted like this.”

Senior video game designer for Bundie Studios, the original development studio behind the Halo series, Jaime Griesemer, shared his shock that the franchise’s imagery was being used to call to “destroy” people.

“Halo is a cultural icon and like anything with cultural capital, it is going to be used by politicians and brands and anyone else looking for relevancy,” he said. “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.

“I personally find it despicable. The Flood are evil space zombie parasites and are not an allegory to any group of people.”

ICE agents have ramped up aggressive anti-immigration enforcement since Trump’s inauguration in January. The department has become one of the most well-funded in the US government over the past year.

At least 59,762 people are in ICE detention as of September 2025, according to TRAC Immigration. At least 71.5 per cent of those in detention have no criminal convictions.

The series’ latest entry, Halo Infinite, regularly features events promoting awareness of marginalised groups.

Developers have added cosmetic items, including armour coatings to commemorate Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian & Pacific Islander Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Pride Month, and much more.

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