Man 'refused entry into US' as border control find bald JD Vance meme on phone
Mads Mikkelsen, 21, from Norway, has told how he was strip searched and "humiliated" at New Jersey's Newark Airport after immigration officers found a meme on his phone of JD Vance without hair
A tourist claims he was "humiliated" by immigration officers and denied entry to the United States after they found a JD Vance meme on his phone where the US vice-president was bald.
Mads Mikkelsen, 21, had arrived at New Jersey's Newark Airport on June 11 when he was pulled aside by border control and placed in a cell. He was travelling to the US to visit friends, first in New York and then in Austin, Texas, but says he suffered "harassment and abuse of power" at the hands of US immigration authorities. He claimed he felt "humiliated" before being taken to a room where he "had to hand over" his phone.
"I felt prejudiced, suspected and simply humiliated even then, in front of many other people at the airport," said Mads from Tromso, Norway. "They took me to a room with several armed guards, where I had to hand over my shoes, mobile phone and backpack."
Officers quizzed Mads about his visit, and his plans, before adopting a personal line of questioning. "They asked direct questions about drug smuggling, terrorist plans and right-wing extremism, completely without reason," he told Norwegian outlet Nordlys.
"They demanded full information about everyone I was going to meet in the US, including name, address, phone number and what they did for work." Mads' mother was due to meet up with him a few weeks into his stay and the pair had planned to travel to several national parks.
"I had travelled for 12 hours, slept poorly, and was physically and mentally completely exhausted even before they started the questioning," he continued. A strenuous crackdown by US Customs and Border Protection has followed Donald Trump's return to office, with officers allowed to search phones.
A French scientist was also denied entry at the border in March, after officers unearthed messages criticising Trump on his phone. Mikkelsen explained: "They threatened me with a minimum fine of $5,000 (£3,671) or five years in prison if I refused to provide the password to my phone."
After handing over his password, Mads was told he would not be allowed to go through with his planned vacation after two images were not to the officers' liking. One image was of a meme showcasing JD Vance with a bald, egg-shaped head. Variations of the image were shared endlessly in March on social media, with the Vice President himself posting his own version.
The other picture showed Mads with a wooden pipe which he had made years prior. "Both pictures had been automatically saved to my camera roll from a chat app, but I really didn't think that these innocent pictures would put a stop to my entry into the country," he said.
Mads claims he tried to say the images were harmless and meant as jokes but the immigration authorities ignored his pleas. He said he was then strip-searched, forced to give blood samples, a facial scan and fingerprints.
"Later I was taken back in, and the situation got even worse. I was pushed up against a wall and was strip-searched with a lot of force. They were incredibly harsh and used physical force the whole time," he claimed.
"I felt completely devastated and broke down, and was close to crying several times. I was on the verge of panic. It felt like I was a terrorist suspect where I was sitting. I tried to pull myself together several times, but in the end, I just wanted to get home again."
The Norwegian adds he was placed in a cell for a further five hours, refused food or water and placed on a plane back to Oslo the same day he arrived for the holiday of a lifetime. "I don't feel there is any point in contacting (Norwegian) authorities, nor do I think they have any power against such a powerful and strict country as the United States," Mads conceded.
Mathias Rongved, a spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned fellow Norwegians that it is their duty to be clued up on US regulations before entering the country. "Most trips to the US go without any particular problems," he said.
"Entry regulations can change at short notice, and it is the traveller's responsibility to have valid documents and be familiar with the current entry regulations. It is the immigration authorities upon arrival who decide whether you are rejected at the border.
"Norwegian authorities cannot intervene in this decision. It is also not necessarily the case that we receive a message either from other countries' border authorities or the Norwegian traveller if the person in question is not allowed to enter a country."
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