Homeland Security Sparks Backlash With Pokémon-Inspired Video Highlighting Deportation Raids

The Department of Homeland Security is triggering outrage among video gamers by likening ICE deportations to the beloved children’s game Pokémon.DHS posted a tone-deaf video Monday on X mixing footage from graphic immigration raids with Pokémon anime. Complete with the official theme song, the video brazenly copies the Japanese cartoon’s opening sequence.“Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” reads a caption of the franchise’s tagline posted along with the video.It is unclear if DHS secured permission to use Pokémon’s intellectual property for the campaign. Irate users tagged Nintendo in their replies, asking if the company was aware of the post.“@NintendoAmerica @Nintendo @Pokemon yo you guys cool with them using your IP for this,” one comment reads.“Nintendo watching this knowing damn well they don’t have the resources to sue Homeland Security,” another comment reads.The department’s social media team went even further, flashing shots of fake Pokémon “trading cards” featuring arrested migrants it calls the “worst of the worst” — complete with allegations of child molestation and murder splashed across cartoonish layouts.Each card listed the men’s “weakness” as a snowflake emoji, standing in as a symbol for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and their “retreat” as an airplane emoji — mimicking the format of Pokémon trading cards.Customs and Border Protection got in on the act, posting a gif of Pikachu dancing in a reply to the post and joking that the fictional creature was their “newest recruit.”The Trump administration has previously run into trouble for using unlicensed intellectual property in official materials.In April 2019, Warner Bros. forced the removal of a Trump video that used music from “The Dark Knight Rises” without permission.The Rolling Stones later threatened Mr. Trump with legal action for using “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” at campaign events without their signoff.

Homeland Security Sparks Backlash With Pokémon-Inspired Video Highlighting Deportation Raids

Homeland Security Sparks Backlash With Pokémon-Inspired Video Highlighting Deportation Raids

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