Outrage after White House releases series of video games making fun of deportation
The White House has launched a series of arcade-style computer games which allow users to role-play as border patrol officers, build a US-Mexico border wall and donate to a child’s Trump account.
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The website, branded by the White House on X as the “Trump Arcade”, launched on Thursday and features games modelled on classic titles including Snake and Tetris.
One game, titled Rio Run, places players along the Rio Grande on the US border with Mexico.
It appears to feature a character resembling border czar Tom Homan, who moves across a grid in the style of the classic game Snake.
Players are instructed to “patrol the line” and collect people crossing the border, with the score increasing as a trail of figures in orange jumpsuits grows behind the character.
The figures appear to represent undocumented migrants.
Another game, Build the Wall, takes inspiration from Tetris and asks users to stack pieces of the border wall.
The game says players must “protect the border from the coming horde”, language that has prompted criticism online.
A further game directs users towards donating to what it calls “your kids Trump account”, referring to a proposed savings account programme linked to the Trump administration.
The games form part of an online push by the White House to promote Donald Trump’s immigration policies, including a major crackdown on illegal border crossings and expanded deportation operations.
However, the launch has been criticised by Democrats and social media users, who said the games trivialise immigration enforcement.
Connecticut state senator Matt Lesser wrote: “Heating oil is near an all-time high but hey you can play Border Czar Tom Homan in a video game. #outoftouch”.
People across social media have since theorised over whether the White House could face copyright issues after it posted promotional clips that appeared to mirror the opening sequences of Xbox, Sega and GameCube games consoles.
One X user wrote: “ok why are we TRYING to get sued... first Xbox, then Sega?”
Another said: “I’m a bit surprised SEGA cleared this tbh.”
It is not currently clear whether the White House sought permission from the companies before posting the clips.