This Old Meme Has a Whole New Meaning Thanks to the DACA Debate

Back in the Summer of 2016, a new meme popped up on the internet, remixing the classic, cliché "Roses are red, violets are blue" poem. People used it to turn headlines into touching poems — and mostly to make fun of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. However, as Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Sept. 5 that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program would be rescinded, one tweet turned that meme into a "poem" about immigration, and it quickly went viral.

To first understand the original meme, check out a few examples:



The new iteration was captured by Tina Vasquez, a reporter at Rewire News. She tweeted a photo of a man holding up a protest sign with his own take on the rhyme, and it went a little something like this: "Roses are red, tacos are enjoyable. Don't blame Mexicans, 'cause you're unemployable."


Her tweet went viral, with more than 335,000 "likes" and 145,000 retweets. However, the meme-y verse got its start even earlier than the DACA debate. Luke Russert, a former NBC News reporter, tweeted a photo of someone else holding a sign with the same message on April 18, 2016.


This most likely won't be the last time we see this meme; its origins date back to 2012, and, as you can clearly see, there's always a perfect moment to reuse it.