Has anybody else seen at ice.gov where it says, in a plaque-like image, on
their home page, that it is their job to keep people, products, money, and IDEAS from crossing our borders. I was absolutely sickened, but only a little bit surprised that they are now so emboldened as to say the formerly quiet parts out loud.
= new reply since forum marked as read
It was never on their website however. Which does not mean they don't subscribe to the concept, just that it was only in a Twitter (X) post publicly so far.
This was it:
?w=630&ssl=1
ICE told POLITICO that the post was put up in error, and that it is drafting a new post that will include “intellectual property” — not ideas.
That only makes it slightly less stupid.
First, it’s not a stretch to assume ICE is in the business of stopping “illegal” ideas at the border. ICE is soliciting offers for a social media dragnet that would, among other things, monitor the “total number of negative references to ICE found in social media.” Also, it would monitor whatever the hell this is:
Information indicating a potential for carrying out a threat (such as postings depicting weapons, acts of violence, refences to acts of violence, to include empathy or affiliation with a group which has violent tendencies; references to violent acts; affections with violent acts; eluding to violent acts, etc.).
Yes, that’s taken verbatim from ICE’s call for bids, one that makes it clear whoever (or whatever) wrote it believes “affection” should be accompanied by “with” and that it’s possible to “elude to” something rather than simply hope to avoid it completely.
On top of the that, Marco Rubio’s State Department is telling diplomats to scour social media posts and other online content created by visa applicants for the sole purpose of denying them entry if they show:
“a hostile attitude toward U.S. citizens or U.S. culture (including government, institutions, or founding principles)”
Given that, it’s not ridiculous to take ICE at its word when it says (via tweet) that it’s going to prevent illegal “ideas” from entering this country.
Even if you take ICE at its post-ratio word, it’s still very stupid. First of all, ideas are not the same thing as intellectual property, as anyone who’s tried to patent or copyright an idea can attest. An idea alone is not protected by IP law.
Read more here: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/04/14/ice-were-here-to-stop-illegal-ideas-from-crossing-the-border/
I'm currently on chemo (again) and while I like to believe my brain fog isn't too bad I noticed I didn't break the paragraphs from my copy and paste and such above. Which has a lot to do with why I post very little here right now. My post always come out messed up.
I give you my blessing to use this info in an OP though!
