FEMA Can’t Say “Watch Out for Ice” in Storm Warnings for Fear of Memes

A winter storm is set to hit much of the country this weekend, and naturally, the Federal Emergency Management Association is sending out warnings to make sure people are safe.

But they aren’t allowed to use the word “ice” in any of their messaging because their superiors at the Department of Homeland Security are worried about internet mockery thanks to the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, CNN reports.

DHS, which oversees both ICE and FEMA, told workers at the latter agency Thursday that phrases like “watch out for ice” could be misunderstood or turn into viral memes, considering the negative headlines ICE agents are producing in Minnesota and across the country.

“If FEMA says, ‘Keep off the roads if you see ice,’ it would be easy for the public to meme it,” an unnamed source told CNN. “I think it’s a dangerous precedent to set. If we can’t use clear language to help prepare Americans, then people may be left vulnerable and could suffer.”

FEMA staff have been told to use words like “freezing rain” instead, according to the source, although a FEMA spokesperson denied the report Friday in a statement.

“‘Reporting’ like this reads like a desperate ploy for clickbait rather than real journalism that actually gives Americans disaster preparedness information that could save lives. FEMA will use correct and accurate descriptors of weather conditions to communicate clearly to the American people,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

It’s hilarious that the Trump administration is worried about using the word “ice,” showing some degree of self-awareness about the negative attention its immigration crackdown is creating. Ice is a major hazard created by winter weather, and the public should still receive warnings regardless of whether they’ll be turned into jokes mocking ICE. If officials are that worried, perhaps the problem lies with ICE.