The Department of Homeland Security is elevating eyebrows after utilizing Pokémon imagery to showcase latest immigration arrests.
On Monday (Sept. 22), the DHS shared a controversial video on social media together with the phrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” a slogan used from the beloved anime series, to accompany footage of raids and apprehensions.
The video mixes clips from immigration enforcement actions with scenes from the Pokémon series intro.
The DHS also uploaded mugshots of individuals on cards resembling Pokémon trading cards for reported crimes such as homicide, child endangerment and molestation, and manslaugther.
Complex has reached out to representatives of The Pokémon Company for comment. This story may be updated.
Also on Monday, Rep. Maxine Waters denounced the Trump administration’s immigration raids as a type of “ethnic cleansing” and joined a coalition of U.S. and civil rights advocates in petitioning the United Nations to analyze the federal authorities for potential human rights violations, in response to the Los Angeles Times.
“When people are targeted because of how they look or the language they speak, the government is absolutely failing,” stated Waters. “We cannot rely upon the administration to police itself.”
The petition, filed by civil rights legal professional Luis Carrillo, was submitted partly on behalf of 4 U.S. residents, together with a pregnant girl who was allegedly shackled and dragged by federal brokers. It accuses companies reminiscent of ICE, DHS, Border Patrol, and the FBI of orchestrating a marketing campaign of ethnic cleaning in opposition to Latino communities by way of “kidnapping arrests, prolonged detentions without due process of law and the brutal excessive use of force.”
DHS officers additionally lashed out at California governor Gavin Newsom for signing Senate Bill 627, also called the “No Secret Police Act,” which bans ICE brokers from carrying face-covering masks throughout operations.
“When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by highly sophisticated gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, criminal rings, murderers, and rapists,” stated the DHS in a press release per KRON 4. “Our officers also wear vests marked with ICE/ERO or Homeland Security.”
The division additionally stated that ICE would proceed eradicating “violent criminal illegal aliens” from California regardless of the state’s actions.