The Trump White House set social media ablaze Friday after posting a striking visual about an ICE arrest — a move that’s garnered tens of millions of views and sent the left into a full-blown meltdown.
At the center of the viral moment was the arrest of Virginia Basora-Gonzalez, a previously deported criminal illegal alien who re-entered the country illegally. According to ICE, she had served time for attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl before being deported in 2020. Despite that, she returned and was recently apprehended in a joint federal operation.
“The apprehension of Virginia Basora-Gonzalez demonstrates our commitment to protecting our communities from criminal aliens who engage in serious illegal activities that pose a threat to public safety,” said Brian McShane, ICE’s acting field office director in Philadelphia. “This successful joint operation exemplifies the collaborative efforts of federal law enforcement agencies to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and remove dangerous individuals from our streets.”
The White House initially posted a photo of her visibly distraught during the arrest. That post alone racked up more than ten million views. But it was Friday’s follow-up that truly caught fire.
🇺🇸Virginia Basora-Gonzalez, a previously deported alien felon convicted of fentanyl trafficking, was arrested by @ICEgov in Philadelphia after illegally reentering the U.S.
She wept when taken into custody (picture attached). pic.twitter.com/qwTpCgTRu9
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 18, 2025
The White House account shared a Studio Ghibli-style, AI-generated illustration of the moment — stylized like a Japanese anime scene, complete with exaggerated emotion and soft lighting. The image immediately went viral, surpassing 48 million views in under 24 hours.
While conservatives largely praised the post as a bold and creative way to drive home the administration’s law-and-order message, the left lost its mind. The Daily Beast dubbed it the “most unhinged meme yet” from the administration. Progressive activists on social media called it cruel and dehumanizing, accusing the White House of turning immigration enforcement into entertainment.
Others, including some on the right, expressed caution. They warned that without the proper context, the image might inadvertently evoke sympathy for the subject or be used by open-border activists to misrepresent the administration’s intent.
Still, supporters say the White House’s move is part of a calculated strategy to visually reinforce a simple message: under Trump, consequences are back. And they’re not wrong — the administration’s numbers on enforcement speak for themselves.
Interior arrests of illegal aliens have already surpassed all of Biden’s total for FY 2024, and illegal border crossings have plummeted. DHS and ICE recently released statistics showing a dramatic drop in unlawful entries, a clear sign that Trump’s enforcement-first approach is having an effect.
https://t.co/PVdINmsHXs pic.twitter.com/Bw5YUCI2xL
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 27, 2025
The administration’s willingness to push the envelope with messaging shows they’re not just playing defense. They’re using every tool — including digital optics — to fulfill their promise of restoring law and order at the border.
As Trump said repeatedly on the campaign trail, the country didn’t need new legislation to fix the border crisis. It just needed a new president. And judging by the reaction to this week’s viral post, the left knows it.
RedState’s editors added their own endorsement: “Thanks to President Trump, illegal immigration into our great country has virtually stopped. Despite the radical left’s lies, new legislation wasn’t needed to secure our border — just a new president.”
