Illegal immigrant and convicted fentanyl Virginia Basora-Gonzalez gained national attention earlier this month for sobbing when she was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Following Basora-Gonzalez's detention, the White House used her public meltdown to create an AI-generated meme as a warning to others. 

Image employs "distinct style" of a famous Japanese animation studio

According to the New York Post, the image was put together using ChatGPT's image generator tool and shared to the official White House X account on Thursday afternoon.

https://t.co/PVdINmsHXs pic.twitter.com/Bw5YUCI2xL

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 27, 2025

It featured what looked like a drawing of Basora-Gonzalez being put into handcuffs as an exaggerated steam of tears ran down her face.

The Post pointed out how the picture was apparently crafted to resemble "the distinct style of Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli."

Basora-Gonzalez was previously deported in 2020 after fentanyl conviction

The newspaper noted that Basora-Gonzalez is a 36-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic who was arrested by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents on narcotics charges six years ago.

The illegal migrant pleaded guilty to possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl as well as one count of aiding and abetting in June 2019.

She was subsequently sentenced to just over a year behind bars along with four years of supervised release but found herself being deported in October of 2020.

Basora-Gonzalez later snuck back into the United States at an unknown date, something which was brought to the attention of federal authorities by a confidential informant.

In an affidavit obtained by the Daily Mail, ICE deportation officer Alec Brown said the confidential informant reported that Basora-Gonzalez was working as a cook at the La Tierra Del Caribe Restaurant in North Philadelphia, which is where she was ultimately arrested.

ICE official: Arrest "demonstrates our commitment to protecting our communities"

Brian McShane served as acting field office director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Philadelphia acting field office director at the time of Basora-Gonzalez's capture, and he touted the development in a press release.

"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," the Post quoted him as saying.

"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 ICE official went on to add.