Recently, an Indian man named Anmol was arrested by ICE while driving an 18-wheeler in Oklahoma. Having no surname, the immigrant’s New York DMV-issued driver’s license had the name ‘Anmol No Name Given’ printed on it. While it’s not the norm in the States, it is not unusual for people from other countries, such as India or Indonesia, to have only one name, aka a mononym. However, many Americans might not be aware that such a cultural practice exists, so the media took advantage of this narrative: ICE arrests an illegal with “No Given Name!”
Those who never leave their home country and consume highly biased media might be more likely to be shocked by the concept of someone from elsewhere having just one name. Needless to say, there are doubtless Americans who fit in this category and even become emotional when they discover that people vastly different from them exist within the country. That said, many, including Governor of New York Kathy Hochul, believe that the far right has created this “nothing burger” of a news story to spark outrage.
“There are people who — it is widely accepted in the federal government and passport processing, which is done by the federal government, that if you choose to use one name, a mononym, you’re allowed to do that. And so I think they just made quite a hysterical story about something as a means to deflect from the fact that this is the shutdown. Republicans are responsible and they are trying to grasp at anything they can, even wildly fabricated stories, despite the fact that this person was lawfully here, received this lawfully — you’re allowed legally under federal and state laws to accept one name, that was not zero name,” Hochul expressed during a conference, per Snopes.
Unfortunately, not all government officials are as rational, with Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma coming out denouncing those with “No Name Given” on their federally approved IDs. Even though New York DMV officials have reportedly claimed Anmol’s ID and status to be completely legal and valid, some disagree. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that “work authorization does not give anyone lawful immigration status” and blamed the Biden administration for allowing such practices: classic Republican behavior.
Many on Reddit were quick to sniff out the load of baloney that media outlets were attempting to push with the “No Given Name” narrative for Anmol. “Basically, it’s all a huge nothing burger but MAGA has to keep the MAGAts scared,” remarks an individual. “The amount of propaganda this admin has pushed is unreal,” added another. “I heard that an African immigrant named their kid X Æ A-12. It seems very suspicious. Immediate deportation to Siberia!” joked a third, referring to Trump’s ex-pal, Elon Musk.
In conclusion, Anmol’s ID was legal and valid, and the whole “No Given Name” idea is nothing new or special. The point of this story is that people, especially the uneducated who despise foreigners, can get riled up at just about anything different from what they understand, or intentionally fail to understand.
