Deported for a meme? Norwegian man says JD Vance pic got him sent home

A Norwegian tourist says a meme on US Vice President JD Vance got him deported, but immigration officials point at drug use

A 21-year-old tourist from Norway, Mads Mikkelsen, says he was deported from the United States after immigration officials found a meme on his phone mocking US Vice President JD Vance. The meme, which showed Vance bald and with a cartoonish face, was allegedly downloaded automatically from a group chat app, reported Daily Mail.

 

Mikkelsen had landed at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, hoping to meet friends in New York and Austin, Texas. He also planned a road trip with his mother through several national parks.

 

But the trip never began. He said that the immigration officers pulled him aside for questioning and soon accused him of links to “drug trafficking, terrorist plots, and right-wing extremism.” 

 

 

“They took me to a room with several armed guards, where I had to hand over my shoes, mobile phone, and backpack,” Mikkelsen told Norwegian daily Nordlys.

 

He said that the officers were particularly disturbed by the meme and another image of him holding a handmade wooden pipe — both saved from the chat app. “Both pictures had been automatically saved to my camera roll from a chat app, but I really didn’t think that these innocent pictures would put a stop to my entry into the country,” Mikkelsen said.

 

 

According to Mikkelsen, things escalated quickly. He was allegedly forced to unlock his phone under threat of jail or a $5,000 fine. Officials then conducted a detailed search of his belongings, took fingerprints, collected blood samples, and demanded personal details about the people he planned to visit.

 

“I had travelled for twelve hours, slept poorly, and was physically and mentally completely exhausted even before they started the questioning,” he added. Later that same day, he was placed on a return flight to Norway.

 

In response to growing online outrage, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a statement denying that the meme had anything to do with Mikkelsen’s deportation. Instead, CBP claims the real reason was his admission of previous drug use.

 

This isn’t an isolated case. Since President Donald Trump’s return to office in January, multiple reports have emerged from European travellers being denied entry to the US. Earlier this month, Trump signed a sweeping travel ban affecting 19 countries.