Sorry Democrats: No One Was Denied Entry into the U.S. for Insulting President Trump

Europeans and Canadians are all over Twitter, claiming they’re changing their travel plans because it’s supposedly not safe to visit the U.S.

But the truth is, nothing has changed when it comes to safety. As long as they enter the country legally and don’t violate the terms of their visas or residency permits, they’ll be just fine.

The other groundless narrative the media are pushing is that visitors to the U.S. are being detained at the border simply for criticizing President Trump. The claim is that anti-Trump messaging was found on people’s phones. However, if you enter the U.S. legally, through a proper border crossing with valid documents, authorities do not look through your phone—and of course, it’s perfectly legal to insult Trump; the media do it every day.

So, I looked into it a little deeper. It turns out the individuals making these claims had all broken the law. That’s why their phones were searched, and they were ultimately barred from entry—either for violating secrecy laws or for supporting Hamas terrorism.

One of the most widely cited cases happened in February 2024, when a French nuclear physicist was denied entry to the United States at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Media outlets in Europe immediately jumped on the story, claiming he was turned away for having text messages on his phone that criticized President Trump. That narrative was quickly amplified to suggest that dissenting political opinions are grounds for detention at the U.S. border.

But the actual facts tell a different story.

According to U.S. authorities, the man was carrying confidential research materials tied to Los Alamos National Laboratory—an apparent violation of a non-disclosure agreement. That’s a legal issue, not a free speech issue. While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does have the legal authority to search phones at the border under what’s known as the “border search exception,” they don’t do it at random.

Most travelers, including myself, have crossed the border many times without ever having a phone inspected. Agents typically only look into devices when something raises a red flag—like visa irregularities, suspicious behavior, or national security concerns.

In this case, the phone was searched because of a potential breach of national security—not because of someone insulting the president. The claim that he was targeted for criticizing Trump is not backed by any evidence—no screenshots have been released, and the U.S. explanation is entirely consistent with the law. It seems more likely that France attempted to politicize the incident to deflect from the fact that one of their own violated sensitive research protocols.

A second case emerged in March 2025, involving Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University. Suri was arrested by DHS agents at his home in Virginia and detained by ICE after the Trump administration alleged he was spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, he had close ties to a senior adviser to Hamas—a designated terrorist organization under U.S. law—which rendered him deportable.

Despite Georgetown’s claims that he was just a peaceful academic studying conflict resolution, the federal government cited serious national security concerns. His wife, a U.S. citizen with strong ties to Gaza, was also reportedly active in Palestinian media circles. Again, the story being pushed in the media is one of a peaceful scholar unfairly targeted. But when you look at the facts, this was a matter of immigration law and potential terror-related affiliations—not political persecution.

The other claim being pushed is that the U.S. is now detaining tourists at the border, and people in the media are warning others not to visit. Once again, this is nonsense. The individuals in question were detained because they violated the terms of their visas—something that would get you in trouble in any country.

German tourist Lucas Sielaff tried to re-enter the U.S. after a short trip to Mexico, likely attempting to reset his 90-day visa waiver. That raised red flags and got him detained. Welsh backpacker Rebecca Burke was doing domestic work in exchange for lodging, which legally counts as employment and requires a work visa—not a tourist visa.

She, too, was detained for violating visa terms. And Canadian entrepreneur Jasmine Mooney ran into problems after her previous work visa was revoked. She tried to re-enter on new paperwork, but the unresolved issues led to a 12-day detention.

In short, if you want to visit or stay in the U.S., follow the law—have the proper visa, and don’t violate its terms. That’s how it works in every other country as well.

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