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The Pokémon Company has released a statement regarding an ICE deportation raid video released by the U.S. government on 23 September. Via a statement to the BBC, the games giant confirmed that it was “not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property."
The Pokémon Company didn’t give ICE permission for deportation raid video
A video montage of real-life deportation raids was released by ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on 23 September, taking no time at all to make waves in the Pokémon fanbase. The video featured the use of the iconic Pokémon anime’s theme song, along with other footage of the series interspersed with actual raids and arrests.
Apparently, The Pokémon Company is well aware of the video’s existence–perhaps because multiple Twitter/X and TikTok users have done their level best to alert the company of potentially unauthorised usage of its IP. In the comments, users can be seen tagging Pokémon and Nintendo social accounts to take down the video.
In a statement to the BBC, The Pokémon Company said:
"We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand," Pokémon Company International said in a statement to the BBC. 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."
The company stopped short of indicating any form of legal action it might take in response to the video, however. It only confirmed that ICE hadn’t been given permission to make the video in the first place.
According to Sky News, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security responded to a request for comment by saying “To arrest them is our real test. To deport them is our cause.” This, of course, is a reference to a line from the Pokémon theme song: “To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause.”
As of the time of writing, the video remains live on ICE's social media channels.
