The Trump administration has turned its immigration and economic policies into the theme of a new online arcade, with games that allow players to deport migrants, build a border wall and contribute to so-called “Trump accounts.”
The website, launched by the White House on Thursday, features several retro-style games carrying a distinct “Make America Great Again” theme. Its release comes as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies efforts to arrest and deport undocumented migrants across the United States.
Among the games is “Rio Run,” a modified version of the classic Snake game. Players control a digital version of border czar Tom Homan as he pursues migrants of different skin colors along the Rio Grande near the US-Mexico border.
Another game, “Build the Wall,” draws on the format of Tetris, the popular block-stacking game. Its instructions tell players to “Protect the border from the coming horde.”
A third game is linked to Trump’s economic programme and asks players to collect nets that are placed into “Trump accounts” — investment accounts containing a $1,000 government deposit for children born between 2025 and 2028.
The White House promoted the games on X with a video featuring a “MAGA” logo styled after the branding of Sega, the Japanese video-game company.
“CAN’T STOP WINNING. Build the wall. Deport. Fill a Trump Account,” the post said.
The White House defended the initiative as part of its broader communications strategy, saying the administration was looking for innovative ways to present the president’s policies and achievements.
“This is an effort to further contrast between a culture of fun and winning and the dark socialist vision Democrats have for America,” the White House said in a statement to AFP.
But immigration rights advocates condemned the games, arguing that they trivialise policies that have serious consequences for migrants and their families.
Amerika Garcia Grewal, co-director of the Frontera Federation in Eagle Pass, Texas, told AFP that the initiative was disturbing.
“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, adding that the designers had “lost touch with what it means to be human and care for others.”
Adriana Jasso, a programme coordinator with AMIGOS San Diego Community, similarly accused the administration of treating a serious humanitarian issue as entertainment.
“The cruelty, the extremity of the administration… is no longer surprising,” she said, arguing that the games reflected a fundamental “lack of seriousness” about immigration.
Trump campaigned on a pledge to remove millions of undocumented migrants and, since returning to the White House, has introduced measures aimed at accelerating deportations and reducing illegal border crossings.
The administration has also frequently relied on provocative social media campaigns and online stunts to promote its policies and challenge political opponents, while facing backlash from artists over the unauthorised use of their music.
