Us Officials Refute Claim That Tourist Was Denied Entry Over Jd Vance Meme

Can a border patrol officer look through your phone and other devices?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can go through your phone, including any deleted items on the device.

• A Norwegian tourist, Mads Mikkelsen, was denied entry to the U.S. after admitting to prior marijuana use, according to CBP.
• Initial reports suggested Mikkelsen was denied entry due to a meme on his phone, but this was refuted by Homeland Security.
• CBP confirmed they have the right to search electronic devices at the border, though less than .01% of travelers are subjected to such searches.

A Norwegian tourist claims he was denied entry to the U.S. after authorities searched his phone at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport and spotted a meme of Vice President JD Vance and photo of a pipe.  

The accusation drew global attention after being first reported by Norwegian news outlet Nordlys.  

However, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and its umbrella Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are refuting it. 

“FACT CHECK. Claims that Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry because of a meme are unequivocally FALSE,” Homeland Security posted on Facebook. “TRUTH: Mikkelsen was refused entry into the U.S. for his admitted drug use. Only those who respect our laws and follow our rules will be welcomed into our country.” 

“Political reasons” were not to blame either, CBP said on X, formerly Twitter.  

Mikkelsen – not to be confused with the famous Danish actor of the same name –  told Nordlys that upon questioning by authorities, he admitted to having tried marijuana once in Germany and once in Mexico, but that he didn’t feel it was relevant because it was legal in both places. It’s also legal in nearly half of the U.S., but not at the federal level. 

USA TODAY reached out to CBP and attempted to reach Mikkelsen for additional comment on the incident and reported discrepancies.  

"Claims that Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry because of a JD Vance meme are FALSE,” Department of Home Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Mikkelsen was refused entry into the U.S. for his admitted drug use.” 

Travelers and legal residents from around the world have been detained and deported since the Trump administration began cracking down on immigration and national security this year. Travel from nearly 20 countries has been either banned or heavily restricted. 

Some U.S. citizens have also faced additional scrutiny when trying to re-enter the country. Unlike foreign visitors, U.S. citizens cannot be denied entry, but they can be questioned and detained, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.  

Regardless of citizenship, all travelers should know that border officers have the right to go through phones, laptops and other electronic devices at ports of entry. 

“These searches have been used to identify and combat terrorist activity, child pornography, drug smuggling, human smuggling, bulk cash smuggling, human trafficking, export control violations, intellectual property rights violations and visa fraud, among other violations,” according to CBP’s website. “Furthermore, border searches of electronic devices are often integral to determining an individual’s intentions upon entry to the United States and thus provide additional information relevant to admissibility of foreign nationals under U.S. immigration laws.” 

Customs and Border Protection notes nearly 1 million people enter the U.S. every day and less than .01% have their devices searched, in line with past years.