'State-sponsored dehumanisation': White House slammed for using pop music in deportation video post

It opens with a pop anthem and ends in outrage. A video posted by the White House on its official X (formally Twitter) account has ignited a storm of criticism for its tone-deaf portrayal of migrant deportations. Set to the peppy rhythm of Bananarama’s 1983 hit "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)," the clip shows detained migrants being led away by border agents as the caption riffs on the song’s chorus: "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye."

What the administration framed as a celebration of border enforcement quickly drew fire online for mocking human suffering.

This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has tied deportation to pop music. Just weeks earlier, the White House posted another video, soundtracked by Semisonic’s "Closing Time." That video showed a deportation in progress, captioned with a lyric often heard as bars close: "Closing time, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

Online backlash was swift and scathing. "This is ghoulish behavior. Sociopathic. Shame on you," one X user wrote. Another said, "It would be great if you guys stopped with the dehumanizing posts! It’s disgusting."

Critics called it a grotesque display of power. "State-sponsored dehumanisation — with a soundtrack," one user wrote. "Weaponising suffering. Mocking lives torn apart. Celebrating cruelty like it’s a game show. This is how fascism talks when it thinks no one can stop it."

Even some who support strict immigration enforcement expressed discomfort. "I want them gone more than most but this kind of a gross display. Do what needs to be done. No need for these comical displays. Makes you the villain and has no strategic benefit," read one comment.

Another user added, “This is what we are going to be singing when Trump is impeached again.”

“I don’t like illegal immigration but it’s not okay to dehumanize people like this, especially in the divisive climate we live in right now. It’s actually pretty disgusting to post this, disgusting and unprofessional," another wrote.

The White House, however, stood by the video. In a statement, it pointed to the effectiveness of its policies, citing a sharp drop in illegal border crossings: "In March, the US Border Patrol encountered just 7,181 illegal immigrants at the southern border, a 95% decrease from 2024 and a 97% decrease from 2022."