Irish YouTuber Adam McIntyre reported to ICE on fraudulent visa violation claims

Derry-born YouTuber Adam McIntyre has been reported to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by members of a now-banned "snark" subreddit, an online forum created to gossip about and express dislike towards him.

McIntyre, who holds an Irish passport, is known for making commentary videos on other YouTubers and internet culture, as well as lifestyle vlogs and his Chronically Online podcast. He is currently travelling the United States with The Chronically Online Tour, and is set to perform his final U.S. show in New York City this Friday.

His channel rose to fame when he received public support following allegations of inappropriate conduct that he made against YouTuber Colleen Ballinger in a 2020 video titled 'colleen ballinger, stop lying'.

After the video went viral, fans of Ballinger — as well as other internet users who dislike McIntyre for reasons including his outspoken support for Palestine and disapproval of Donald Trump and ICE — created the r/AdamMcIntyreSnark community on Reddit.

Prior to the start of The Chronically Online Tour, McIntyre posted an image of his O-1 visa on X and expressed his excitement for the tour in the caption.

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! USA HERE I COMEEEEE BABY!!! SEE YALL ON TOUR!!!! OPENING NIGHT IN 2 WEEKS!!!! WE ARE GONNA BE ON TOUR FOR 6 MONTHS BABBYYYY!!!!!!! 7 shows on sale right now and 14 more on sale next week 💋 pic.twitter.com/834u34rD4R

— adam mcintyre (@theadammcintyre) January 30, 2025

An O-1 visa is a temporary work visa granted to individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics. According to McIntyre, it took massive amounts of effort and paperwork to acquire his visa, which was for his accomplishments as a creative. McIntyre said that his O-1 visa expires at the end of July, and he intends to leave immediately after Friday's show in New York.

In late June, a member of r/AdamMcIntyreSnark reposted the image on the platform with the headline "Someone Posted About Visas". In the replies to the post, users appeared to misread the 'R' on the image as indicating an R-1 visa, which is intended for those conducting religious work.

In reality, the 'R' indicates the visa recipient holds a regular passport, rather than a diplomatic or service passport.

Comments on the post suggested that McIntyre had acquired his visa in a fraudulent way, as he was not in the United States to conduct religious activities. Some commenters went so far as to post screenshots of reports they had sent in to ICE, demanding that McIntyre be deported.

These reports held particular weight as McIntyre learned of them while performing in Los Angeles, where there has been a significant ICE presence following massive protests last month.

A statement was issued on all of McIntyre's social media Monday afternoon.

"Adam McIntyre has initiated a formal legal investigation in response to serious defamatory actions perpetrated by individuals associated with the subreddit known as r/AdamMcIntyreSnark," the statement read.

"It has come to our attention that members of this subreddit have knowingly submitted false and malicious reports to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alleging fraudulent activity concerning Mr. McIntyre's immigration status. These claims are entirely baseless and constitute both defamation and false reporting to federal authorities, which are offenses under U.S. law."

McIntyre also released a video on his main YouTube channel addressing the issue late Monday night.

Watch the video below:

"These people are supporting ICE, the organisation that is genuinely just kidnapping from so many different communities around America, specifically targeting the Latino and Hispanic communities, and that’s something really troubling to me," said McIntyre in the video.

"I've said time and time again that when it comes to snark, I pretty much will put my hands up and allow people to do whatever they're doing. Because again, I don't want to criticise how people talk about people, even if that is me, because then who am I to judge, because I talk about people on my YouTube. But I think that there's something truly disgusting about weaponising ICE against people."

McIntyre has been known to not speak against snarking, as his platform was largely built on calling out other creators for misconduct.

"At what stage do you prioritise your morals and other human beings more than snarking?" McIntyre said.

Since the statement and video were posted, r/AdamMcIntyreSnark has been banned from Reddit.

A second video addressing the situation was posted today, responding to American pro-Israel YouTuber Ethan Klein. Klein posted an Instagram story, later reposted on Reddit, in which he complained that McIntyre participates in snark of Klein and does not deserve sympathy for his actions. Klein wrapped up the post by telling McIntyre that McIntyre is "literally reaping what you sew."

In his response, McIntyre emphasised that there is a difference between simply posting snark content and breaking the law by reporting someone to ICE on false claims.

"It crossed a line whenever you start trying to put me in danger," said McIntyre in the video.

"This was no longer snarking. This was putting me in government records incorrectly because you don't know how to read a visa....my name, Adam McIntyre, and my personal information have been submitted to a federal agency with the power to investigate, detain or deport me. This is not a joke. And this is where it has crossed a line."

Watch the video below:

The news comes amid new requirements for visa-seekers, including intense social media screenings for Irish students applying for J1 visas. Taoiseach Micheál Martin denounced these requirements as "excessive" last month.

"I don’t approve of them, I don’t agree with them," Martin said.

"One of the great things in the world, in the modern world, has been the capacity for young people to travel and mobility is important. The US is probably one of the more difficult countries to get into, at times. There is an issue around freedom of speech, but it’s more the atmosphere that’s created by these measures, the fear and the anxiety that young people will now experience travelling."

No further updates have been issued regarding the legal investigation of the claims. McIntyre is still set to perform Friday's show as scheduled.