The official U.S. Department of Homeland Security X account has been testing out a new social media strategy that no one asked for, as a meme lord.
On Monday, a video posted to the DHS’s X account used the Pokémon catchphrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” to compare ICE arrests to hunting the titular creatures. The video ends with mugshots of those arrested by ICE super imposed onto fake Pokémon trading cards, alongside their alleged crimes, including murder, pedophilia, burglary, murder, and child endangerment.
On Tuesday, Theo Von, the podcast host of “This Past Weekend,” which had Trump on as a guest during his presidential campaign, also found himself the star of a clip on the DHS X account. The post includes a soundbite from Von: “Heard you got deported, dude. Bye” that the agency uses to celebrate Trump’s record on deportations.
Neither Von nor the Pokémon Company International was made aware of their featuring role before the content began circulating on social media. In a since-deleted post, Von took to X, saying, “Yooo DHS i didnt approve to be used in this. I know you know my address so send a check.
“And please take this down and please keep me out of your ‘banger’ deportation videos. When it comes to immigration my thoughts and heart are alot more nuanced than this video allows. Bye!” (Fast Company has reached out to Von for comment).
Via email, the Pokémon Company International told Fast Company: “We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand. Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property.”
The DHS social strategy seems to be to seek forgiveness not permission, which appears to involve seizing viral moments and meme-opportunities, similar to the official White House social media accounts.
In July, British singer Jess Glynne said in July she felt “sick” after the White House used the viral Jet2holiday advert featuring her song as the audio to a video promoting deportations.
The DHS has also repurposed images from artists, including Thomas Kinkade and Morgan Weistling, without their permission, as well as music from Tom Petty and Woody Guthrie in social media posts. In each case, the usage was unauthorized and the offended parties objected to the use. Fast Company has contacted the DHS for comment.
While the post featuring Von has since been removed, the Pokémon clip and many others remain. Trolling those who responded to the post with outrage, the Customs and Border Patrol X account replied with a GIF of Detective Pikachu captioned: “Border Patrol’s newest recruit.”