Did U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement post on X about ideas crossing the border illegally, along with people, money and products? Yes, that's true: Screenshots of the post were shared widely, amid a backlash around what critics described as the concept of "illegal ideas." ICE later deleted the post, but archived versions of it prove its authenticity.
A screenshot of the ICE post appeared in a post on Facebook on April 10, 2025 (archived here). The ICE post consisted of a text caption, which stated "ICE enforces 400+ federal laws to ensure public safety and national security", and a graphic whose text components read:
If it crosses the U.S. border illegally, it's our job to
STOP IT
PEOPLE
MONEY
PRODUCTS
IDEAS
This is what the Facebook post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot)
The screenshot was authentic, and ICE really did post that graphic to X on April 10, 2025, prompting a backlash from critics on social media platforms. The X post was subsequently deleted, but an archived version can be viewed here. Below is a screenshot of that archived version:
(Source: archive.ph screenshot)
Later on April 10, ICE posted a modified version of the same tweet, replacing "ideas" with "intellectual property":
(Source: X screenshot)
