Yes, this really happened. Labour leader Ivana Bacik held up a meme of US Vice President JD Vance as a bald baby during a fiery speech in the Dáil — and it was all part of a broader protest against America’s new visa crackdown.
📱 US demands five years of social media history
The spark? A sweeping new visa policy introduced by the United States this week now demands applicants reveal all social media usernames from the past five years. Not only that — they must be public.
Bacik said the changes mark a “major incursion on the freedom of expression,” slamming the US approach as “authoritarian.”
“We’re watching a major incursion on the freedom of expression, unthinkable in an electoral democracy.”
She pointed to the case of a Norwegian tourist recently detained and deported from the US — allegedly over a meme on his phone.
😳 ‘Baby Vance’ meme used as evidence?
Holding up the offending image during her Dáil speech, Bacik explained:
“A meme depicting Vice President JD Vance as a baby. Extraordinary that this would be used to detain someone and send them back to Oslo.”
The tourist, Mads Mikkelsen, claimed US authorities found the meme on his phone and used it as a reason to deny him entry — despite no criminal charges.
🇮🇪 What will Ireland do about it?
Bacik called on Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to reassure young Irish people planning to travel to the US on the J1 visa scheme.
In response, O’Callaghan admitted:
“There is very little I can do about the US immigration system.”
He described the new visa rules as “regrettable” and welcomed the Taoiseach and Tánaiste’s criticism of the US stance.
🕵️♂️ US claims it wasn’t the meme
US Customs and Border Protection has since denied that the meme had anything to do with the deportation. Instead, they claim Mikkelsen was turned away due to “admitted drug use.”
But critics aren’t convinced — especially as the story was first reported in the Norwegian press before going viral.
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