A French scientist was denied entry into the United States by immigration officials after authorities found messages critical of the Trump administration on his phone.
“I learned with concern that a French researcher on assignment for the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) who was traveling to a conference near Houston was denied entry to the United States before being expelled,” Philippe Baptiste, France’s minister of higher education and research, said in a statement on Monday to Agence France-Presse, or AFP, published by Le Monde.
“This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy,” the minister added.
A diplomatic source said the incident occurred on March 9 at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The scientist was reportedly pulled aside at random by U.S. Border Patrol officials and then taken to another room for questioning.
A second AFP source said that U.S. officials accused the French researcher of having “hateful and conspiratorial messages” and had exchanges that “reflect hatred toward Trump and can be described as terrorism." He was reportedly also informed of an FBI investigation, but the charges were dropped before he was expelled.
The Trump administration has come under fire from the scientific community at home and abroad due to the cuts made to medical and scientific research grants. Immigration attorneys have advised their clients to clear their social media of content that may be critical of current U.S. foreign policy. Last week Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a physician at Brown Medicine in Rhode Island, was forced to leave the U.S. after admitted supporting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and attending his funeral.
“Freedom of opinion, free research, and academic freedom are values that we will continue to proudly uphold. I will defend the right of all French researchers to be faithful to them, while respecting the law,” Baptiste said.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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