Laughing at JD Vance is Now a Crime; I'm Not Joking

That pic of JD Vance could be your worst nightmare – and not for the reason you think

A Norwegian tourist claims that earlier this month, he was denied entry into the United States because of a JD Vance meme on his phone.

21-year-old Mads Mikkelsen said he felt humiliated while getting pulled aside at Newark Airport and described the interrogation he experienced from border patrol officers as “completely without reason.”

After keeping Mikkelsen in a room with multiple other armed officers, he was told to give officers his password or face a fine of $5,000 or five years in prison. Officers searched his phone and found two images that they used as reasons to not admit Mikkelsen into the country – one meme of bald egg JD Vance that has circulated social media for months, and another of Mikkelsen with a wooden pipe that he has made years ago. Mikkelsen also reported that he was aggressively strip searched and had to give biometric information like fingerprints, facial scans, and blood samples before being placed in a cell for five hours without food or water and then sent on a flight back to Oslo.

Beyond the insanity of being detained, strip searched, threatened, and held for hours without food or water over a months-old meme that’s all over social media (that JD Vance himself participated in, even though it stopped being funny as soon as he did), the implications of this for the state of our First Amendment are really bad.

This isn’t the first time someone has been stopped for content of their phone on their way into the United States – border control has taken full advantage of their ability to search devices since Trump’s inauguration. In March, a French scientist was denied entry into the country after border officials searched his devices and found messages that criticized the Trump administration, and a leftist French lawmaker planning to come speak with Members of Congress about the spread of neo-fascism had his visa revoked earlier this month after it was earlier approved.

Border security refusing entry to those that disagree with the admin, even just in their private messages, doesn’t really fit the vibe of a country founded on the principles of free speech and lively debate, and is deeply concerning on a variety of levels for our right to post, protest, and speak out against corruption. Mind you, earlier this year, JD Vance essentially shattered the United States’ relationship with the EU by minimizing Russian threats, making it clear the Europe was on its own against Russia, and whining about restrictions on free speech in European countries, saying they were undermining democracy; free speech does seem to be a priority for the Trump admin – just not in America.

With such major restrictions on free speech, being an independent journalist in the United States is becoming increasingly more dangerous. If you like my work and want to support my ability to continue reporting, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber – it really is the best way to support my effort.