RismadarVoice Reporters
September 4, 2026
The White House has launched a website featuring arcade-style video games promoting some of President Donald Trump’s key immigration policies, including migrant deportations and the construction of a border wall.
The games, unveiled on Thursday, have drawn criticism from rights groups, who accused the administration of trivialising the impact of its immigration crackdown on undocumented migrants.
One of the games, Rio Run, is modelled on the classic game Snake. It features a digital representation of US border czar Tom Homan pursuing migrants of different skin colours along the Rio Grande near the US-Mexico border.
Another game, Build the Wall, is based on the popular block-stacking game Tetris. Players are instructed to protect the border by constructing a wall.
A third game centres on “Trump Accounts”, investment accounts established under an administration programme that provides a $1,000 government contribution for eligible children born between 2025 and 2028.
The White House promoted the games on X with a video featuring a modified “Make America Great Again” logo inspired by the branding of Sega, the Japanese video game company.
The accompanying message urged users to “Build the wall. Deport. Fill a Trump Account.”
The White House defended the initiative, saying it was intended to present the administration’s policies in a format that would appeal to a wider audience.
“This administration is laser-focused on ways to innovate and tell the story of the President’s many accomplishments in a way that resonates with every American,” the White House told AFP.
It described the initiative as an effort to contrast what it called the administration’s “culture of fun and winning” with the Democrats’ “dark socialist vision for America.”
Human rights advocates criticised the website, particularly its depiction of migrant deportation as entertainment.
Amerika Garcia Grewal, co-director of the Frontera Federation in Eagle Pass, Texas, told AFP that the initiative was insensitive to people affected by the administration’s immigration policies.
“Makes me sick. They’ve been playing games with people’s lives for years; now they’ve made a video game of what they’re doing,” she said.
Ms Grewal said people living along the US-Mexico border had experienced suspicion and violence despite many of them being American citizens.
She also accused the designers of failing to consider the human consequences of the policies represented in the games.
Mr Trump made the deportation of millions of undocumented migrants a major part of his campaign and has pursued policies aimed at increasing arrests and deportations since returning to office.
His administration has also introduced measures aimed at reducing illegal border crossings and tightening immigration enforcement.
The White House has frequently used social media campaigns and unconventional digital content to promote the president’s policies and criticise political opponents.
