John Oliver returned to HBO’s Last Week Tonight on Sunday, February 22, 2026, with a pointed critique of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The episode, Oliver’s first in three months, focused on the 22-year history of DHS and its impact on immigration policy.
Oliver’s segment highlighted a recent $100 million media campaign by DHS, which he characterized as employing “disturbing patterns of what sure seems like white nationalist dog whistles.” He specifically referenced the campaign’s patriotic messaging and symbolism. When contacted for comment, DHS “angrily denied any dog whistles,” according to Oliver, and asserted they “will not apologise for using patriotic messaging and symbolism in our advertisements.” A DHS spokesperson further stated, as reported by Oliver, “One could say, we are Homelandmaxxing by removing illegal aliens and defending our borders,” a statement Oliver described as making him “feel dumber for saying out loud.”
The episode as well examined the leadership of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, focusing on recent fatal shootings of civilians, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Oliver noted that Noem’s tenure coincides with a period of “unprecedented funding surge” for the department.
Oliver traced the origins of ICE back to the founding of DHS in the wake of the September 11th attacks, arguing that the agency’s expansion and evolving mission have resulted in increasingly broad powers and a lack of accountability. The segment detailed the agency’s budget and its growing role in domestic law enforcement.
The return of Last Week Tonight followed a three-month hiatus, during which Oliver acknowledged a significant accumulation of news events, including the release of Epstein files, Donald Trump’s proposals regarding Greenland and Iceland, the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York mayor, and a cheating scandal involving Norwegian athlete Sturla Holm Lægreid. However, the bulk of Sunday’s episode was dedicated to the examination of ICE and DHS.
