A MEME of US Vice President JD Vance mocked up as a baby was waved in the Dail today as concerns were raised about new social media checks on students travelling to the States.
The baby meme of the American VP exploded on social media in the wake of that infamous meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this year.
The Ukraine leader was scolded by President Trump in the Oval Office that shocked the world with JD Vance playing a cameo role by fuming at the Ukraine leader: “Have you said thank you once?”
The meme again hit the headlines this week when a Norway student claimed he was denied a visa to the US because he had the photo of a baby face JD Vance on his social media.
The US government recently put in place a new rule which requires students travelling to the States to hand over their social media accounts to be checked by American officials.
The US claims that these social media checks are to ensure people travelling to the States do not intend to harm Americans or its “national interests”
Student Mads Mikkelsen told local media in Norway that he was denied entry to the US at Newark International Airport on June 11 after handing over his phone to immigration officials who found the baby face meme of JD Vance on his device.
The 21-year-old claimed he was threatened with a fine or five years in prison if he did not provide the password to allow them to search his device.
He was sent back to Norway after they found the photo.
However, a spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security claims that this is untrue.
They said: “Mads Mikkelsen was not denied entry for any memes or political reasons, it was for his admitted drug use.”
Labour leader Ivana Bacik used the incident to raise the issue of social media checks for Irish J1 students who traditionally travel to the States every summer in large numbers.
‘UNTHINKABLE’
Waving a photo of JD Vance mocked up as a baby, the Dublin TD said: “We’re watching a major incursion on freedom of expression unthinkable in a western democracy.
“This week a young Norwegian tourist detained by ICE at Newark Airport and sent back to Oslo. Why?
“He had this meme on his phone. A meme depicting Vice President JD Vance as a baby. Extraordinary.
“Extraordinary that a young person with this amusing meme on their phone depicting a public person that this would be used as an excuse to detain him for five hours and then deport him back to Oslo.”
‘EXCESSIVE’
Deputy Bacik asked the Minister of Justice what he was going to do to reassure Irish students travelling to the US this summer on J1 visas.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has labelled these social media checks as “excessive” while Tanaiste Simon Harris plans to engage with the new US Ambassador to Ireland on the issue.
In response to the Labour leader’s Dail meme stunt, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said: “There’s very little I can do about the US immigration system – like I’m trying to put rules on the Irish immigration system, I can’t control the US immigration system.”
The Fianna Fail Minister said it was regrettable that the US had introduced the new measures but he predicted that Irish J1 students will continue to travel to the States despite the checks.
