U.S. Customs and Border Protection Now Rejecting Memes? Border Agents Flag 'Pepe the Frog' as Unapproved Political Asylum Application Photo.
WASHINGTON—In what is either the most ironic enforcement of the 21st Century or a brilliant new reality show plotline, United States Customs and Border Protection has inadvertently gone viral after an official policy memo leaked, instructing agents to reject any immigration documents featuring the "Pepe the Frog" meme as a headshot. The internet, predictably, went into overdrive after a detainee at a Texas facility allegedly tried to submit a crudely drawn Pepe holding a tiny passport as his primary identification. While CBP insists this is about preventing frivolous claims, meme historians are cackling: "They spent years banning Pepe as a hate symbol, and now he's the only guy brave enough to apply for a visa unironically." As one agent muttered to a reporter, "I swear, if one more guy hands me a form with a crying wojak face instead of a signature, I'm retiring to Canada." The new rule officially bans any "non-human cartoon likeness" on applications, which the internet has already dubbed "The Great Deportation of the Amphibians."