Comedian Ben Palmer’s ICE Agent Prank Exposes Online Bigotry

He isn't an agent, but they're telling him everything. Comedian and professional provocateur Ben Palmer has launched his latest viral stunt, pretending to be an ICE agent to lure out and expose paranoid racists online.

The Mechanics of the Ben Palmer ICE Agent Prank

Palmer, known for his motto "You Can Be Anything," set up a persona that appeared to be an official outlet for reporting undocumented immigrants. According to reports from Boing Boing, the prank effectively baited individuals who were eager to "tell on" their neighbors, only to have their bigotry documented and shared with the public. This latest project is seen as a shift from his usual lighthearted corporate trolling to a more pointed form of social activism.

Over the last few years, Palmer has impersonated everyone from ChatGPT to the customer service of Cracker Barrel. His method involves adopting a persona that represents an authority figure or a brand, then interacting with people who express right-wing outrage or entitled demands, exposing the absurdity of their positions in the process.

A History of Digital Subversion