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White House shares ‘Deported Edition Labubu’ meme highlighting ICE arrest: 'Maybe Labubus are demonic'
The White House picture appeared to reference the recent arrest of Cristian Soto-Galeano, a Guatemalan national detained by ICE in New Orleans.
The White House’s official account on X recently posted a photo that appeared to show a Labubu-like box branded as “Deported Edition Labubu”. The illustration featured a cartoon figure of a man in handcuffs, with the words “Sexual Predator, Illegal Alien, Arrested by ICE” printed on the side of the box and a bold “Deported!” label at the bottom. The caption to the post read, “WTF. Maybe Labubus are demonic,” followed by a red devil emoji.
The White House picture appeared to reference the recent arrest of Cristian Soto-Galeano, a Guatemalan national detained by ICE in New Orleans. According to the agency, Soto-Galeano was previously convicted of indecent behaviour with a juvenile and sentenced to two years in prison. He was recently taken into federal custody for deportation proceedings.
ICE had earlier shared a photo showing Soto-Galeano shackled and standing next to an officer. That image seems to have been reimagined in the White House post, which presented the case in the form of a Labubu-like collectible “box.”
The White House post came after ICE New Orleans published details of Soto-Galeano’s arrest, stressing that the agency “remains committed to protecting communities” by pursuing individuals who pose a threat to public safety.
By linking the deportation announcement with a labubu doll - a collectible character popular on social media- the White House drew further attention to the arrest. It reinforced the Trump administration’s stance on immigration control and the removal of individuals with serious criminal convictions.
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Social media reactions
On social media, the post drew mixed reactions, with many wondering if the White Office the account had been hacked.
One user asked Grok, “how likely do you think that the white house account was hacked based on this X post?”
“Had to triple check to make sure this was the actual White House account,” commented another.
“Can’t believe this the official White House account,” expressed a third user.
“I thought this was a parody account at first. Wow,” said one user.
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Donald Trump as Superman and Jedi
The “Deported Edition Labubu” is the latest example of the Trump administration leaning on meme culture to deliver its message. Previously, the White House shared an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump depicted as a muscular Superman soaring through the sky. The post was shared with the caption, “The symbol of hope. Truth. Justice. The American Way. Superman Trump.”
More recently, the White House shared an AI-generated photo of Trump in which the Republican leader is styled as what appears to be a beefed-up, patriotic Jedi.
