A Norwegian tourist said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents "strip-searched" him before denying him entry into the country after they found a meme of Vice President JD Vance on his phone.
Mads Mikkelsen said he suffered "harassment and abuse of power" from ICE agents after he arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on June 11 while traveling to Austin, Texas. Mikkelsen told Nordlys, a Norwegian newspaper, that agents questioned him about "drug smuggling, terrorist plans and right-wing extremism, completely without reason" before forcing him to allow them to search his phone.
The 21-year-old tourist was told he would not be allowed the enter the U.S. after they found a meme of bald Vance, one the vice president posted a version of himself earlier this year. He was then forced to complete a biometric assessment, including 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," Mikkelsen revealed, according to Dublin Live.
"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," he continued.
Before he was sent on a plane back to Oslo the same day, Mikkelsen said he was held in the cell for five additional hours and refused food or water. He added that he does not "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."
Originally published on Latin Times
