The viral commercial, which features the singer-songwriter’s song “Hold My Hand,” has been used in more than 71,000 TikTok posts in a trend that has remained generally lighthearted until now
Leave it to the Trump Administration to ruin one of the funniest viral trends of the year. On Wednesday, July 30, singer and songwriter Jess Glynne slammed the official White House account on X for jumping on the “Jet2 Holiday” commercial meme — which features her 2015 hit single “Hold My Hand” — to promote U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportations.
“This post honestly makes me sick,” Glynne wrote on Instagram, referring to the social media post where the White House wrote: “When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. ✈️🎶 Nothing beats it!” The caption was accompanied by a video of multiple men restrained in hand and leg cuffs being deported. Conveniently, the only faces blurred out in the video are those of the ICE agents.
“My music is about love, unity, and spreading positivity,” Glynne continued, “never about division or hate.” The “Jet2 Holiday” audio has been used in more than 71,000 TikTok posts, usually paired with videos of funny accidents and silly antics. The trend took off earlier this summer and remained mostly lighthearted until now.
“Fascism with gen z humor hoping to appeal to the younger generations leaves a sour taste in my mouth,” one X user wrote in response to the White House post. Another added: “Joke is officially dead now, these are real people’s lives we’re talking about and the official White House account is making it out to be a meme. Horrifying reality we live in.”
Earlier this month, a memo revealed federal government plans to deport immigrants to countries where they hold no citizenship. These deportations could be enacted with as little as six hours’ notice and do not guarantee that they’ll be protected from torture or persecution when they arrive in these countries. Trump promised during the campaign to deport “the worst of the worst” criminals, but recent ICE data reveal that 72 percent of immigration detainees have zero criminal convictions.
