With a quick blast of heat, the black gel on a tiny canvas vanishes, revealing a fallen ICE agent.
When social influencer and nail artist Heather Buzzell saw a video of Renee Good being shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Jan. 7 in Minnesota, she felt shock and anger.
Buzzell, 36, a staple on Facebook and Instagram for over a decade, wanted to declare her outrage but couldn’t find the words. So, when she saw a video of an ICE agent who lost his balance and slipped on the ice during an operation there on Jan. 11, she used her art to make her voice heard.
“It popped into my head like the Peanuts cartoon looks in the newspaper,” she said. “Like a comic in my head.”
Recent events in Minneapolis reflect President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, granting federal immigration officers more power. Trump seemed to be tweaking those efforts this week after Saturday’s fatal shooting of an intensive care unit nurse Saturday.
A close up of one of the nails in artist Heather Buzzell’s anti-ICE set at Buzzell’s workspace in Tunkhannock on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Artist Heather Buzzell applies heat to reveal the imagery on her anti-ICE nail set in her workspace in Tunkhannock on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Artist Heather Buzzell shows the anti-ICE nail set before heat is applied at Buzzell’s workspace in Tunkhannock on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Nail artist Heather Buzzell in her workspace in Tunkhannock on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Nail artist Heather Buzzell in her workspace in Tunkhannock on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Artist Heather Buzzell’s anti-ICE nail set at Buzzell’s workspace in Tunkhannock on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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A close up of one of the nails in artist Heather Buzzell’s anti-ICE set at Buzzell’s workspace in Tunkhannock on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Buzzell went to work painting in what she calls her “she shack” in the backyard of her Tunkhannock Twp. home. With tiny brushes she brought the image to life. She hoped it would tell a story of injustice and inspire those who saw it to take a stand.
After a video of the creation of the artwork was posted to Facebook and Instagram, views skyrocketed.
The video opened with heat being applied to the nail, which caused a layer of black nail gel to turn transparent and reveal the image.
“It was like magic,” Buzzell said.
Buzzell believed the video would go viral but didn’t realize just how viral. Her Facebook page started with about 1,400 followers, and that number increased exponentially after the video posted.
Buzzell created other artwork designed to get her message out.
Depictions of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy detained by ICE agents, believed to be used as bait to lure his family out of their home; pro-ICE influencer Jake Lang covered by a hand with long pink fingernails; and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sporting a Pinocchio nose continued to draw viewers.
Soon Buzzell’s Facebook page, titled “Hand it to Heather,” had 5,700 followers.
Her reel depicting the ICE agent falling on ice drew over 1 million views. Views for the other reels were in the hundreds of thousands. Her Instagram followers also grew exponentially following the recent ICE-themed posts and she now has nearly 30,000 followers on the platform.
She points out that the two platforms have somewhat different vibes.
Comments on her Facebook page are mixed, with some Trump supporters strongly defending the actions of ICE. Comments to her Instagram page have been almost entirely supportive, she said.
Buzzell draws passion for her efforts not from social media, but from concern about her children, ages 17, 14 and 2.
Although they don’t all completely understand the national landscape, it is their future that hangs in the balance, Buzzell said.
“They say children are our future,” she said. “I believe that.”
So, Buzzell is proud her efforts, which provide a tangible depiction of recent events, memorialize the injustice of the current political landscape and not let it be swept under the rug.
“I didn’t realize how powerful my art could be, but I’m so grateful that I’m able to speak out against something that so many Americans feel so uncomfortable with,” she said. “It’s essentially tyranny.”
She fears that even state and local governments are losing power over ICE agents in their own jurisdictions.
“I hear the news and the government officials are begging the people to leave, and they don’t leave,” she said.
Buzzell intends to continue to create the ICE-themed artwork and now keeps her ear to the news to determine what her next piece will be. She’s always been committed to making the world happier and better for her followers. Now, she thinks she’s also bringing truth to light on her social platforms.
“I definitely always tried to use my powers for good,” she said. “I’ve never really publicly spoken about anything. But this is something that I couldn’t put into words and so I’m speaking through my artwork.”