A tourist was recently denied entry in the US over a bald JD Vance meme that was found in his phone. On June 11, Mads Mikkelsen reached New Jersey’s Newark Airport when he was taken aside by the border control and placed in a cell as he told the Norwegian outlet Nordlys.
Mikkelsen had plans to visit his friends in New York and Austin, Texas but faced severe harassment in the hands of US immigration officials. Talking about his nightmarish experience, he said, “I felt prejudiced, suspected and simply humiliated even then, in front of many other people at the airport.”
He further added, “They took me to a room with several armed guards, where I had to hand over my shoes, mobile phone and backpack.” The authorities eventually shifted to more personal interrogation as Mikkelsen recalled, “They asked direct questions about drug smuggling, terrorist plans and right-wing extremism, completely without reason.”
He then mentioned, “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.” Mikkelsen’s mother was scheduled to join him a few weeks into his trip, and together they intended to explore several national parks.”
Mikkelsen had been travelling for almost 12 hours and was naturally exhausted but the authorities did not care about any of that. As he said, “I had travelled for twelve hours, slept poorly, and was physically and mentally completely exhausted even before they started the questioning.”
It should be noted here that since Donald Trump came to power, the power of U.S. Customs and Border Protection has gone up as they are now authorized to look into the phones of the travelers as well. Mikkelsen also recounted the incident of a French scientist being turned away at the U.S. border back in March for having text messages critical of Trump on his mobile as Irish Star reported.
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Mikkelsen also added, “They threatened me with a minimum fine of $5,000 or five years in prison if I refused to provide the password to my phone.” After unlocking his phone, when the authorities found that he had a viral meme of a bald JD Vance in storage, he was detained. It should be noted here that the meme was shared by Vance himself back in March when it went viral.
Another image that the authorities found offensive was an image of Mikkelsen featuring a self-crafted wooden pipe. As he said, “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.”
Mikkelsen naturally tried to make the authorities understand that the meme and the image were in good humor but unfortunately, his words did not matter. He further recounted what happened, saying, “Later I was taken back in, and the situation got even worse. I was pushed up against a wall and strip-searched with a lot of force. They were incredibly harsh and used physical force the whole time.”
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He also said, “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.”
Given the kind of treatment he received, Mikkelsen naturally feels hopeless about the system, as he said, “I don’t feel there is any point in contacting the State Department, nor do I think they have any power against such a powerful and strict country as the United States.”
Mikkelsen’s unfortunate experience serves as a stark reminder of the current state of America where even an innocent meme can land one in detention and ruin their plans of visiting the country.
