Pokémon Company Breaks Silence on Viral DHS Arrest Video
The Pokémon Company has weighed in after a DHS arrest video promoting ICE hijacked its imagery and theme song, riffing on the gotta catch them all tagline; after the clip sparked backlash, the company issued a statement distancing itself from the viral promo.
Well, this is a sentence I did not expect to type: the Department of Homeland Security posted an arrest video set to the Pokemon theme song, leaned into 'Gotta Catch 'Em All,' and The Pokemon Company is very much not amused.
What DHS posted
On September 22, 2025, the official DHS account shared a video on X that pairs footage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers with the classic Pokemon theme. It even drops in animated clips of Ash Ketchum for good measure.
The video flashes 'Department of Homeland Security' in that familiar yellow-and-blue Pokemon-style font, capped with the slogan 'Gotta Catch 'Em All.' It went viral fast for obvious reasons, and as of now, it is still online.
Pokemon steps in
The brand wasted no time distancing itself from the whole thing. The Pokemon Company International issued a statement making it clear this was not authorized.
'We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand,' said The Pokemon Company International. '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.'
DHS has not responded publicly.
The other DHS clip that blew up this week
Separate from the Pokemon post, DHS also shared a different video that used comedian Theo Von's voice over what looked like footage of an ICE raid. Von jumped on X to say he did not approve any of it. After his pushback, DHS removed that clip. The Pokemon-themed one remains live.
Inside baseball: DHS keeps trying the pop-culture thing
DHS has been weaving pop songs and movie staples into its social content for months, presumably to juice engagement. The picks have been all over the map, including:
- 'Climb Every Mountain' from The Sound of Music
- DaBaby's 'Toes'
- Frank Sinatra's 'Come Fly With Me'
- Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby'
- Inner Circle's 'Bad Boys'
Sometimes that kind of remix can be clever; more often than not, it backfires. Borrowing a kid-friendly franchise and its catchphrase to soundtrack arrest footage is one of those choices that was always going to cause blowback — and now it has a very irritated rights holder on record saying 'nope.'