Derek Guy, a fashion writer more commonly known as “the Menswear Guy” on X, posted Monday about his experience as an undocumented immigrant brought to the U.S. as a child. Far-right extremists quickly called for Guy to be deported, something that’s not entirely unexpected on a social media platform that’s turned into an even greater cesspool of hate ever since Elon Musk bought it. What turned out to be somewhat unexpected was the vice president of the United States and the Department of Homeland Security posting gifs to suggest they might really deport him.

It all started on Saturday, June 7, when Guy tweeted that while he admired the courage of protesters against ICE, he thought violent protests were counterproductive. Some folks on X and Bluesky thought Guy was lecturing people who were putting their bodies on the line in resistance to ICE round-ups in Los Angeles, stirring some criticism.

The following day, Guy seemed compelled to talk about his own experience with immigration, writing on X, “My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada. My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary.”

Guy went on to explain that when work fell through in Canada his father went to the U.S. “as our family needed money” and he ended up “staying longer than he was supposed to.” Guy writes that he was carried over the U.S.-Canada border by his mother while he was still a baby.

“I’m still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law,” Guy wrote. “The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I’ve been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.”

I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will.

I think there's an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the…

— derek guy (@dieworkwear) June 8, 2025

Guy went on to explain (in a very lengthy post) that most immigrants simply aren’t violent criminals and that “sending us ‘back’ to our ‘home’ country would mean sending someone to a foreign land.” But the admission that Guy may be undocumented in the U.S. led to various X accounts calling for him to get kicked out of the country.

An account called @growing_daniel wrote, “JD Vance I know you’re reading this and you have the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever,” in a quote-tweet about Guy’s immigration status. Vance replied with a GIF of actor Jack Nicholson vigorously nodding his head.

pic.twitter.com/V243VfvAtD

— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 9, 2025

Guy got a good burn in on the vice president, quote-tweeting Vance with “i think i can outrun you in these clothes.” Guy frequently critiques the fashion choices of conservative men, something that really seems to irk many of his followers, given the fact that they rely on him for advice on clothes. Guy has previously made fun of Vance’s pants for being too short and skinny.

i think i can outrun you in these clothes https://t.co/zun1mvpHlN pic.twitter.com/D9o4FfzRWN

— derek guy (@dieworkwear) June 9, 2025

As if it wasn’t bad enough that Vance was suggesting he might try to get Guy deported, the Department of Homeland Security posted a GIF from the movie Spy Kids, quote-tweeting a call for him to be deported. The suggestion being that they had their eyes on him.

https://t.co/RoW7oiWPZw pic.twitter.com/0t2Oj74C85

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 9, 2025

Far-right influencer Andy Ngo expressed skepticism of Guy’s story about his family fleeing Vietnam, claiming he could be lying since he didn’t publish his story in “a publication that goes through some level of independent verification.” The ironic part of that, of course, is that Ngo constantly posts garbage on X without any kind of “independent verification” as he puts it.

Musk and his legion of far-right fans are so fond of saying the traditional media are dead and that you don’t hate the mainstream journalists enough. But when someone tells their own story, they’re quick to want some kind of verification from the same old-school media they whine about.

Guy didn’t respond to an email sent Monday afternoon but shared an article from HuffPost on Monday about the attention, writing, “honestly, didn’t expect this is what would happen when i joined a menswear forum 15 years ago.” 

I shared my story because I think the narrative about undocumented immigrants has become very slanted in order to justify crackdowns. It doesn't help when people think that all undocumented immigrants are criminals who hate the US. The ones I know are good, hardworking people. pic.twitter.com/MvZQcrls2a

— derek guy (@dieworkwear) June 9, 2025

The average undocumented immigrant is pretty similar to the average citizen: they dream of getting a better job, they value family, they enjoy social time with friends,” Guy wrote. “Like most people, they have wishy washy political views and aren’t ideologues. They hide from view for obvious reasons. And thus, their part of this story isn’t being told.”

“What you see on TV or social media is a slice designed to justify draconian policies,” he concluded.