Tourist says he was barred from entering US over JD Vance meme on phone: ‘Abuse of power, harassment'
A Norwegian tourist has claimed he was harassed and refused entry to the US after immigration officers found a meme of JD Vance on his phone.
Mads Mikkelsen, 21, touched down at New Jersey's Newark Airport on June 11, excited to visit friends in New York City before traveling to Austin, Texas.
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His plans were thrown into complete disarray after he was reportedly quizzed on 'terrorism and drugs' before being thrown in a holding cell.
'I was subjected to abuse of power and harassment,' Mikkelsen told Norweigen newspaper Nordlys.
6 A meme was found on Mikkelsen's device that depicted a chubbier, bald and cartoonish Vice President JD Vance.
Obtained by The NY Post
'They took me to a room with several armed guards, where I had to hand over my shoes, mobile phone, and backpack,' he added.
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Mikkelsen claims that immigration officials stopped him and quizzed him 'about drug trafficking, terrorist plots, and right-wing extremism,' which he said was 'totally without reason.'
He was then placed in a cell.
Next, Mikkelsen said that officials threatened to imprison him or fine him $5,000 if he did not grant them access to his phone, so he did.
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It was at that point where agents made the discovery of a meme on his device that depicted Vice President JD Vance's face – altered to make him chubbier, bald and cartoonish.
'The picture 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.
Mikkelsen claims he pleaded with agents that the photos were a joke, but they didn't want to hear it. Instead, they searched him, forced him to give blood samples and supply his fingerprints.
6 Norwegian tourist, Mads Mikkelsen, was refused entry to the US at New Jersey's Newark Airport after immigration officers found a meme on his phone.
AP
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'It felt like I was a terrorist suspect where I was sitting,' he said.
'I tried to pull myself together several times, but in the end, I just wanted to get home.'
Mikkelsen said he was placed on a flight back to Norway that same day.
The incident has sparked a wave of criticism on social media, with many declaring the act as an infringement on free speech.
6 Mikkelsen had to give blood samples and supply his fingerprints, and was placed on a flight back to Norway.
AP
'Barring a tourist over a meme mocking the VP? This is what authoritarianism looks like,' said one.
'ICE detained a Norwegian tourist who had a JD Vance meme on their phone. They weren't allowed to enter the country. These are the same people who blame Europe for a lack of free speech,' influencer Pekka Kallioniemi wrote on X.
'Remember when JD Vance went to Germany to lecture them about free speech? That was hilarious,' wrote another.
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'So much for free speech. Note to visitors: Best not come for a few years,' said one US resident.
6 'Barring a tourist over a meme mocking the VP? This is what authoritarianism looks like,' one person wrote on social media.
AFP via Getty Images
It comes after a former NSW police officer was detained, jailed overnight and deported from the US late last month.
Nikki Saroukus from south-west Sydney was 'treated like a criminal', denied her rights, subjected to invasive searches and a night in federal prison after travelling to Hawaii to visit her US military husband.
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Saroukos told news.com.au that she arrived with her mother to Daneil K Inouye International Airport for a routine three-week holiday when things took a sharp turn at the customs desk.
Saroukus and her mom were taken to a holding area for questioning while their bags were tossed out and inspected, along with their documents.
6 Nikki Saroukus, a former NSW police officer, was detained and deported from the US late last month.
Nicolle Saroukos / TikTok
6 Saroukus was subjected to invasive searches after traveling to Hawaii to visit her US military husband.
Nicolle Saroukos / TikTok
There, she was forced to surrender her phone and passwords, and questioned about her work as a former police officer.
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'They were asking me about ice and meth and whether I knew how much was being imported from New Zealand.'
After the statement concluded she was told to wait outside where she was then subjected to a DNA swab – which she was given no explanation for.
She was further forced to sign a document declaring she was not a part of a cartel and had no affiliation with gang members.
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Saroukos said she was handcuffed, subjected to an in-depth cavity search and marched through the airport in full view of the public before being driven to a federal detention facility where she spent the night.
She was then put on a flight back to Australia the following day.
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