Democracy Dies in Darkness

He made a fake ICE deportation tip line. Then a kindergarten teacher called.

A Nashville comedian’s deportation hotline, set up as a joke, has gone viral among viewers who say it shows the “banality of evil personified.”

February 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. ESTFebruary 20, 2026

8 min

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(Illustration by Natalie Vineberg/The Washington Post; screenshots from Ben Palmer's YouTube; iStock)

By Drew Harwell

Ben Palmer, a stand-up comic in Nashville, has built a following online with his signature style of elaborate deadpan pranks, stumbling his way onto court TV shows and pyramid-scheme calls to poke fun at the latent absurdities of American life.

What readers are saying

The comments reflect a strong criticism of the actions and attitudes surrounding immigration and deportation, particularly highlighting the moral and ethical concerns of reporting individuals based on their immigration status. Many commenters draw parallels between current events... Show more

This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments.

$3 USD every four weeks.3 extra accounts.

$3 USD every four weeks.
3 extra accounts.