Video games put immigration debate in play

The video game plays like this: You are a Mexican illegal immigrant, an Indian green-card holder or a student on a visa from Japan.

As you navigate through New York City, you make risky decisions along the way. At a subway turnstile, do you jump or swipe your card? At a corner store, do you pay or shoplift? If you make bad choices and lose points, you can win others by attending immigration rallies or taking English classes.

But watch out: If an immigration agent pops onto the screen, you go straight to a detention center and face possible deportation. You’ve been “ICED” — a twist on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws.

As the national debate over immigration continues, advocacy groups are trying a new medium — video games — to promote their agenda and influence public opinion.

ICED, for example, was produced by Breakthrough, a New York-based human-rights organization, to highlight the arbitrary nature of immigration laws.

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