U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) faced backlash after posting — and quickly deleting — a graphic on social media claiming its mission includes stopping 'illegal ideas' from crossing the border. The post, which also listed people, money, and products as items ICE prevents from entering the U.S. illegally, was widely criticized for suggesting a crackdown on free speech and thought. Critics, including immigration advocates and legal experts, condemned the language as authoritarian and contrary to American values. ICE has not clarified what it meant by 'illegal ideas' or whether it was a misstatement. The incident has reignited concerns about overreach and the politicization of immigration enforcement.
@ISIDEWITH3wks3W
ICE Deletes Post About Stopping 'Illegal Ideas' From Crossing Border
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, reacting to the post on X: "Trump's ICE publishes a graphic saying they are going to be stopping "ideas" from "illegally" crossing the border. Remind me again whether we're supposed to be a free country?"
@ISIDEWITH3wks3W
ICE says its job is to stop illegal ‘ideas’ crossing the border in since-deleted X post
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s job is to stop illegal ideas from crossing the U.S. border, according to a now-deleted social media post from the agency that drew condemnation on Thursday.
@7J22PDVLibertarian3wks3W
This is exactly the kind of authoritarian overreach libertarians have been warning about for years. The government has no business policing “ideas,” illegal or not—that’s straight-up thought control. If ICE can’t clearly define its mission without trampling on the First Amendment, maybe it’s time to rethink the agency altogether.
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