A French scientist was allegedly denied entry into the United States on March 9 after U.S. officials reportedly found messages critical of the Trump administration’s research policies on his phone, according to French officials and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
France’s Minister for Higher Education, Philippe Baptiste, stated the scientist, who was traveling to a conference in Houston on assignment for the National Center for Scientific Research, was deported after a random search of his electronic devices. Baptiste said the denial was “apparently” due to private messages expressing personal opinions about U.S. research policy.
AFP reported that the academic was initially accused of sending messages that “expressed hatred towards Trump and can be qualified as terrorism,” though all charges were later dropped. The individual’s name has not been released.
The incident sparked a response from France emphasizing academic freedom and freedom of expression. U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed all travelers are subject to inspection, including electronic searches.
Fact-Checker Lead Stories found that while French media reported the researcher was expelled from the U.S. for expressing opinions critical of Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security said he was denied entry due to possessing confidential information from Los Alamos National Laboratory. DHS stated the researcher admitted to taking the information without permission and attempting to conceal it, denying that his removal was politically motivated.
The event follows similar recent incidents involving European travelers and has led to updated travel advisories by the U.K. and Germany.
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