USDA says Santa Claus granted visit permit for US, mocked online: 'Will he be detained at the border?'
On Christmas eve, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tweeted saying that Santa Claus had been granted annual visit permit to enter the United States, which drew a stream of criticism across the social media platform.
"Breaking: Santa and his 9 reindeer have been issued a permit to enter the US on #ChristmasEve, thus ensuring children across the country will wake up #Christmas morning filled with joy & spirit of the season," read the tweet, which also included the link to a press release, according to which Santa was "a broker with Worldwide Gifts, Unlimited".
"At USDA, we want to ensure we are not hindering Mr Claus' important work of spreading Christmas cheer for all to hear," said Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in the press release. "Ease of access into the United States for Mr Claus and his nine reindeer will ensure that children all over the country — including my own fourteen grandchildren — will wake up on Christmas morning with joy and filled with the spirit of the season. USDA issued this permit in advance and waived all applicable fees to help ensure a smooth trip on Christmas Eve night."
The press release also included a quote from Santa himself, saying that his reindeer did not have communicable diseases such as the "red nose syndrome". Nevertheless, the USDA said that there would be disease testing for Santa's reindeer and Father Christmas' boots and sleigh runners were to be disinfected.
"It would be a disaster for Worldwide Gifts, Unlimited, if my reindeer were to unintentionally bring in foot and mouth disease along with all the gifts," the statement quoted Santa as saying. "Why, something like that could put me out of business. That's why we work all year to keep the reindeer healthy and take all possible precautions before and during our trip."
The tweet was met with a lot of backlash from social media users. "Will he be detained at the border and thrown into a cage?" tweeted author Jamie Schler.
Another user tweeted: "We, the American taxpayers, are paying private companies to house immigrants. They are making MILLIONS off of these poor souls. And they are treating them worse than zoo animals. No baths. No decent food. No medical care. No regulatory supervision. Merry Christmas."