Nothing screams irony more than Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, threatening to evict the same United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement that has been terrorizing citizens over unpaid rent.
In a TikTok video, the reporter explained that the county’s controller had been leasing space to the Department of Homeland Security for nearly three years, but “the fees had not paid up.” The county administration sent a memo to Kristi Noem. A clip of the county controller, Mark Pinsley, relating the message to the federal law enforcement agency was attached.
“You’re evicted,” he began. “Pack your masks, tear gas, pepper balls, and hit the road.” The county controller stated that the agency owed $115,000 in back rent. “Since Congress gave you a $75 billion appropriation, you can probably take it out in petty cash. But we want it by the end of the week,” he added. The controller also stated that the county had created a database that allowed citizens to report issues with ICE.
CBS News reported that the County Executive, Josh Siegel, announced that he was terminating the lease agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. In a statement, Siegel stated, “The department’s failure to pay rent, combined with DHS’s national reputation for recklessness, chaos, and public disorder, warrants ending any relationship with the County. We will not accept their blood money.”
Siegel added that the county was ready to “take all necessary steps to enforce the lease termination and protect the interests of Lehigh County residents.” Any other content on the internet would attract reactions, but the mere fact that this had something to do with ICE probably fueled the spark of reactions. “Trump never pays his bills,” a user wrote. A second one wrote in agreement, “Hahaha, how [expletive] dumb do you have to be not to make MAGA pay up front,” and another chimed in, “By now they should know better. Get Trump to pay the bill up front!”
A TikToker wrote, “Umm, hello, the POS Pedo they follow never pays any of his bills!” tagging the official handle of the president, “What did you think a thief taught their cult following? Good luck to that landlord and God forbid he is a MINORITY.” One netizen alleged, “Sorry, but that money is in Trump’s bank account somewhere in Russia, where he plans to make his escape.” Another added, “All that money went to Kristi Noem’s hat collection.”
Someone else asked, “How can felons work as government agents?” Referring to the County’s resolve, one user said, “It’s insane that they even had to assert this authority.” Some other users responded, “That’s the only way to treat this administration,” one wrote. Another one said, “This administration wants everything for free…while they are embezzling the whole country and other countries.” A last user joked, “115k in back rent is embarrassing 😂.”
