Tourist denied entry to US after saving meme of bald US Vice President J.D. Vance on his phone
21-year-old Norwegian tourist Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry into the United States. Mikkelsen claims that his access was due to memes of Vice President J.D. Vance that he had saved on his smartphone, but Customs and Border Protection (CBP) denies that his access was due to drug use.
USA, Grensekontroll | Mads innrømmet lovlig rusbruk:
USA, Reise |
https://www.nordlys.no/us/reise/grensekontroll/gjor-du-dette-er-du-ille-ute-i-den-amerikanske-grensekontrollen/s/5-95-2502325
Man 'refused entry into US' as border control catch him with bald JD Vance meme - Dublin Live
https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/world-news/man-refused-entry-us-border-31925059
On June 11, 2025, Mikkelsen arrived at an airport in New Jersey and was stopped by CBP for questioning.
According to Mikkelsen, he was taken to a room with several armed guards, where he handed over his smartphone and backpack, and was warned that he could be fined or imprisoned, so he also gave away his smartphone password. The images stored on his smartphone were found here, and he was asked a number of questions about his visit, as well as drug smuggling, terrorism plots and extremism. After being detained for about five hours, he was sent back to Norway.
Mikkelsen claims he was denied entry due to two images he had on his phone: a photo of himself holding a wooden pipe and a meme of Vice President Vance.
The meme was created when Rep. Mike Collins posted an image of Vice President Vance with a slightly edited face, and Internet users created numerous images of him in a slightly less cool style. One of them was a bald Vance.
However, after the story was reported in Norwegian media, CBP flatly denied Mikkelsen's claims, saying, 'Mikkelsen was denied entry not because of memes or political reasons, but because he admitted to drug use.'
Fact Check: FALSE
pic.twitter.com/is9eGqILUq —CBP (@CBP) June 24, 2025
Mads Mikkelsen was not denied entry for any memes or political reasons, it was for his admitted drug use.
In an interview with Norwegian media outlet Nordlys, Mikkelsen admitted to using drugs.
However, he only used it once in Germany and once in the US state of New Mexico, both places where it is legal.
Mikkelsen said, 'Drugs were not mentioned in any detail during immigration inspection.' In addition, when he requested the records of his immigration inspection, he found that they stated he was an immigrant and had a Spanish passport, when he was not, and that he was in possession of a pipe, when he did not. Mikkelsen claims that these records were false.
Similar cases include one in March 2025 when a French researcher claimed he was denied entry because he had notes about the research policies of the Donald Trump administration on his smartphone, and another in June when a writer claimed he was denied entry because he had written about protests against Israel. These have raised suspicions that President Trump's strict border control policies are resulting in unfair restrictions based on certain nationalities or beliefs.
A US Foreign Office spokesperson warned Norwegians that 'it is your responsibility to fully understand the regulations before entering the US. While most travel to the US is uneventful, entry regulations may change at short notice. Travelers are responsible for ensuring they have valid documentation and are familiar with current entry regulations.'
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