DHS Pokémon video draws 37M views, sparks backlash

A DHS Pokémon video posted to X on September 22, has gone viral, amassing more than 37 million views by the next day and drawing widespread criticism, according to Fox News Digital and The Daily Beast. The clip shows federal agents arresting suspects while the Pokémon theme song plays, ending with the caption “Gotta Catch ’Em All” and mocked-up cards portraying detainees as game characters.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) highlighted several arrests on these cards. They included Nery Garcia Linares, a 32-year-old Guatemalan arrested by ICE Newark on September 18; Moises Lopez-Zepeda, a 44-year-old Mexican national arrested by ICE Houston on September 19 who was previously convicted of intoxicated manslaughter in Texas and sentenced to 12 years; and Hossein Sharifi, a 67-year-old Iranian arrested by ICE Atlanta on September 5, 2025, described as an alleged child sex abuser. Each card displayed an “ice” snowflake icon as weakness and an airplane symbol as retreat.

The post triggered backlash across social media. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) replied with a Pikachu GIF, joking it was “Border Patrol’s newest recruit.” Users questioned whether Nintendo or The Pokémon Company had authorized the imagery. Fox News Digital reported both companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment on September 23.

Criticism also focused on one raid clip in the video. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council wrote on X that the footage showed a door being blown open at a home where U.S. citizens lived, without being shown a warrant, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem present for cameras. The Independent reported that DHS defended the operation, stating no U.S. citizens were arrested and that they were briefly held for safety. A DHS spokesperson added: “To arrest them is our real test. To deport them is our cause.”