Spring Break billboards show up in Panhandle supporting ICE, deportation policy

A conservative group will run ads in Florida’s Panhandle urging voters to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The spots cast ICE agents as security protecting one of America’s hottest party destinations.

American Sovereignty funded billboards and plane displays in an ad blitz in Destin and Pensacola, timed to when thousands will hit beaches there during Spring Break.

“You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” reads one billboard, which shows a handshake between “Bartenders at 3 a.m.” and “ICE agents.”

Another shows an ICE agent standing in front of “Club America” with the headline “ICE: America’s Bouncers.”

A third shows an image of an ice bucket and the words “This ice says party,” contrasted to another of an agent and the message, “This ICE says ‘Party’s over, illegals.’”

American Sovereignty bills itself as an America First group that believes “a sovereign nation must know and control who enters, enforce the law fairly, and only welcome those who follow the rules.” The ads show confidence that most Americans are on the same page.

Organizers pointed at polling from Plymouth Union Public Research from January showing 57% of likely voters support President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, and swing state polling from February showing support of a Department of Homeland Security shutdown below 35%.

An Inquire poll in January also found 61% of respondents opposed any government shutdown over defunding ICE. Meanwhile, other polling also found strong support for deporting criminals who immigrated into the country illegally, including from Public Opinion Strategies (79% support), UpOne Insights (82% support) and Cygnal (61% support).

American Sovereignty has spent millions of dollars promoting ICE in digital, TV and other ads.

Most notably, the nonprofit funded a Super Bowl ad, later shared online by the White House and ICE on social media platforms, that aired after Bad Bunny’s halftime show, along with billboards and box truck ads in San Francisco, the host city for the sporting event.