White House launches anti-immigration video games / Human rights organizations criticize initiative

The White House has launched two video games promoting the Donald Trump administration’s anti-immigration policy, amid an intensification of arrests and deportations in the United States. The initiative, published on the official website of the U.S. executive branch, has been criticized by human rights organizations.

The first game, titled “Rio Run,” is inspired by the famous “Snake.” The player controls a character representing Tom Homan, the president’s chief adviser on immigration, and must collect people who have crossed the Rio Grande in order to deport them.

The second game, “Build the Wall,” is inspired by “Tetris” and asks users to build a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico. The White House maintains that the games are a way to promote its policies, but activists accuse the administration of turning migrants’ suffering into a form of entertainment.

The platform includes a total of five arcade-style games and uses an aesthetic inspired by classic games and MAGA slogans. The launch comes after DHS announced nearly 51,000 arrests in August and published images of shackled Haitian immigrants being deported.