JD Vance meme in Irish parliament
Photo : Twitter
The claims sparked debate over the border policies under the Trump administration. The subject was also discussed in the Irish parliament, where Labour leader Ivana Bacik displayed the same Vance meme to slam new American border policies, specifically the J-1 visa rules requiring access to applicants’ public social media accounts.
“We’re watching a major incursion on freedom of expression, unthinkable in a Western democracy. This week, a young Norwegian tourist was detained by ICE at New York airport and sent back to Oslo. Why? he had this meme on his phone, minister,” Bacik added, before presenting a printout of the meme.
She also questioned Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan on what he planned to do to assure Irish citizens that their freedoms would not be violated by the border policies of another nation.
A Norwegian tourist, Mads Mikkelsen (not the actor), claims he was denied entry to the US after border officials searched his phone and found a meme of Vice President JD Vance and a photo of a pipe. The incident, first reported by Norwegian outlet Nordlys, gained international attention.
Mikkelsen told the outlet that during questioning, he admitted to using marijuana once in Germany and once in New Mexico, both places where it is legal. However, he believed the admission was irrelevant due to local legalization. Mikkelsen disputes the official reason given and accuses US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of “blatant falsification.”
In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP strongly denied Mikkelsen’s claims, stating that his entry was denied due to his “admitted drug use,” not political content on his phone. “Claims that Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry because of a JD Vance meme are FALSE,” DHS officials said.
