The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posts a parody video of the Japanese animation Pokémon that depicts immigrant arrests on X (formerly Twitter). /Courtesy of X (screenshot)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sparked controversy by releasing a video parodying the Japanese animated series Pokémon to promote the arrest of immigrants.

The Department of Homeland Security on the 23rd (local time) posted a one-minute video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption "Gotta catch 'em all." The phrase is the chorus of the theme song from the original Pokémon series.

Set to that theme song, the video shows DHS agents arresting suspects. In the final segment, photos of suspects arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) appear in the style of Pokémon cards.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also posted an image of the character Pikachu, joking in a comment that it was a "rookie Border Patrol member."

At the end of the video posted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on X (formerly Twitter), photos of suspects arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) appear in the form of Pokémon cards. /Courtesy of X (screenshot)

Supporters of the Trump administration are reacting positively to the video. One X user commented, "To arrest them is our real test. To deport them is our cause." That line also appears to be a variation of part of the theme song lyrics, "To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause." However, many criticized it as "an effective strategy for meme-ifying fascism."

Nintendo, which holds the copyright to Pokémon, has not yet issued an official position.

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