Norwegian tourist claims he was held at US Airport over morphed JD Vance photo; officials cite THIS reason

Mads Mikkelsen, a Norwegian tourist, was detained by US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) at Newark Airport for five hours. He claimed the detention was due to a forged picture of US Vice President JD Vance, according to a report by the BBC.

Following the incident, Mikkelsen spoke to a local publication, Nordlys and the BBC, stating that the USCBP agents threatened to impose a $5,000 fine unless he unlocked his phone for inspection. During the search, they found a photoshopped image of JD Vance with a bald head.

Mikkelsen told the BBC, “The agent seemed to be very antagonised by the image. He asked me why I had it saved on my phone. He went on to explain to the agent that it was just a meme, a piece of comedy. The agent responded by saying, it's very clearly a piece of dangerous extremist propaganda.”

Speaking to The Daily Star, Mikkelson said, “They asked direct questions about drug smuggling, terrorist plans and right-wing extremism, completely without reason.” He further added, “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.”

Further, he also stated that he informed the agents about legally consuming cannabis in Germany and New Mexico, following their extensive questioning regarding drug smuggling, terrorism, and extremism. Additionally, he was escorted to a secured room and instructed to surrender his shoes, phone, and backpack.

What does USCBP say?

Meanwhile, USCBP in a post on X informed that Mikkelsen was not allowed to enter due to drug use. "Fact Check: FALSE," they posted, "Mads Mikkelsen was not denied entry for any memes or political reasons, it was for his admitted drug use." The Department of Homeland Security has also publicly denied that Mikkelsen was denied entry because of the meme.