U.S. Immigration on ICE
In an effort to engage younger voters in social and political issues, some activists have developed videogames that address and expand on various aspects of those issues. ICED, short for "I Can End Deportation," is an online game that's been launched to educate people about some of the concerns of immigrants in the United States. And the media response has been interesting.
According to ABC News reports, ICED (which also alludes to ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement branch of the Department of Homeland Security) was launched by Breakthrough, an international nonprofit human rights organization.
The free, downloadable game allows players to experience life as an immigrant in the United States by playing as one of five characters. Each teenage character has a unique story: Marc is a Haitian seeking asylum; Javier is an undocumented Mexican citizen; Anna, from Poland, thinks she's a US citizen; Suki's a Japanese student here on a student visa; and Ayesha is Indian, here on a green card.
Players go through the game by avoiding ICE officers, choosing whether to follow or break the law and answering questions about immigration. If players choose "wrong" actions or answer questions incorrectly, they will be "detained with no respect for [their] human rights," according to a press release describing the game.
Apparently, ICED was designed to draw attention to some of the civil rights and due process violations that occur during many deportations in US courts. Specifically, ICED acts as a highlighter for the changes caused by immigration laws passed in 1996 that expanded the crimes that could lead to deportation and limited the appellate rights of immigrants, sources show.
Reports indicate that supporters of ICED - and of similar videogames - claim that videogames can be effective tools for promoting social awareness and understanding. Unlike news reports or printed articles, videogames allow players to actively engage with a situation and gain an increased level of comprehension.
But some people have criticized ICED and its supposed aims.
In an editorial published on InfoWars.com, one critic described ICED as a tool that "essentially trains illegal aliens how to sneak across the border and avoid border patrol agents and cops," despite the fact that all of the characters are within US borders when players begin playing.
In response to such outrageous criticisms, Breakthrough's executive director, Mallika Dutt, decried the "conservative Right" for misunderstanding and holding prejudice against her company's product.
On various Internet forums, the question of whether or not immigration is a human rights issue has drawn some hot debate. If you're interested in playing ICED, you can download a free copy at www.icedgame.com. If you have other questions about immigration or deportation, you should consider speaking with an immigration lawyer.