National Guard, ICE raids have everyone reviving Third Amendment memes
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Images of Third Amendment memes circulating on X. Screenshot: @jimamendments, @lydiakauppi, @franklinleonard via X.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently lamented that Chicago businesses prohibited federal officers from using their bathrooms or eating in certain restaurants, as owners argue is their right under the Third Amendment of the Constitution.
The big picture: Previously relegated to niche online communities like the HistoryMemes Reddit, the Third Amendment is receiving almost as much attention as its big siblings, the First and Second Amendments.
Context: The Third Amendment prohibits the forcible housing of the military in a civilians' house during peacetime, and requires any change to that status to be codified by law during times of war.
- The amendment is "not considered controversial" and its merits have never been litigated before the Supreme Court, according to Cornell University's Legal Information Institute.
- The Amendment specifically pertains to civilians' homes, but social media users are tying it to other types of personal property as well.
Driving the news: Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin slammed the way Noem was turned away from a Chicago municipal building while on her way to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in an emailed statement to Axios.
- "She didn't ask for a meeting. She asked to use the restroom. This is insane."
State of play: The Trump administration rolled back restrictions on immigration enforcement in churches, hospitals and schools earlier this year, opening the floodgates for officers to access traditionally safe spaces to conduct raids.
- The rollback has confused staffers unaccustomed to navigating law enforcement demands while adhering to industry protocols.
What they're saying: Adam Abadir, who led a Maryland public health campaign using memes, told Axios in a phone interview that social media is increasingly being used to "make what should be intolerable, tolerable."
- "It's almost as if we are being asked to process things that are very serious, that are very concerning, in a way that is supposed to be seen as funny," he said.
- "These types of communication channels are extremely effective. It just depends on the person that's using them."
Zoom in: The memes keep coming. Users have remarked how they never expected to need their knowledge of the Third Amendment from history classes, and apologized to the Founding Fathers for not seeing their vision.
- From gifs that portray Michael Jordan as the Third Amendment dunking on federal agents, to Lord of the Rings protagonist Gandalf preparing for battle, the memes span multiple fan universes.
Zoom out: Trump's preference for using federal troops as civilian law enforcement has repeatedly spurred "Third Amendment absolutists" to the front of American politics.
- When Trump unexpectedly deployed troops to Los Angeles earlier this year with minimal preparation, troops reportedly had to sleep on the ground with little food, fuel, or water while the administration figured out their arrangements, prompting several social media users to make 3A jokes about how the troops weren't wanted.
- Social media users also leaned into the amendment in 2020 after Trump deployed National Guard troops in D.C. during his first term to quell Black Lives Matter protests against Mayor Bowser's request.
Go deeper: Campaigns ride the meme wave as 2024 election cycle heats up
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details throughout.
