US Borders: Where Memes Are Sedition, and Surveillance is Freedom
The CBP searched more phones than ever this year, targeting tourists whose digital lives might harbor the 'wrong' political opinions. The Independent notes visitors from Canada and Mexico dropped 20% since Trump's initial presidency, a dip presumably unconnected to a state that criminalizes a critical meme. (Imagine if other nations searched phones for pro-US government content.) This isn't about
security; it's about chilling free expression, extending surveillance stateside, and solidifying a culture where casual political opinions invite state scrutiny. So, while candidates like J.D. Vance (whose memes are apparently a national security threat) collect millions in PAC money (OpenSecrets.org data shows Vance's 2022 Senate campaign received nearly $100,000 from various PACs, including
leadership PACs and industry groups), and politicians vote on their donors' behalf, you're the problem if your phone shows you laughed at a political cartoon. How can America claim to champion freedom when it patrols borders for perceived ideological impurity?