On March 19, 2025, French media reported that U.S. border officials had denied entry to a French scientist because the officials found messages criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump while searching his phone and computer. Social media users shared the reports and related claims across Facebook, X (archived), Threads (archived) and Bluesky (archived).
The French news reports cited a statement that the French minister of higher education and research, Philippe Baptiste, sent to news agency Agence France-Presse.
According to Baptiste, a researcher from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) was traveling to a conference in Houston when border officials denied his entry to the U.S. The statement, cited in French- and English-language news media, said (translated with DeepL.com):
This measure would have been taken by the American authorities because the researcher's phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friendly relations in which he expressed a personal opinion on the research policy pursued by the Trump administration.
An anonymous "diplomatic source" cited in French news media said the messages reflected "hatred toward Trump and can be classified as terrorism."
Snopes has not been able to independently verify Baptiste's statement or the information from the anonymous source.
We reached out to the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research to confirm Baptiste's statement. We will update this story if we receive a response.
However, on March 21, two days after French media reports first circulated, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin wrote on X that the reported incident was not "based on political beliefs." McLaughlin's statement read:
Yeah, not true. The French researcher in question was in possession of confidential information on his electronic device from Los Alamos National Laboratory— in violation of a non-disclosure agreement—something he admitted to taking without permission and attempted to conceal.
Any claim that his removal was based on political beliefs is blatantly false.
We have reached out to the DHS for any further comment and to confirm reported details about the removal date and location and await a reply.
Other officials in France and the U.S. were hesitant to confirm details of the incident.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said via email it was "informed" about the situation but did not confirm a date or location for the incident. The ministry statement continued:
We deplore this situation and reiterate our desire to promote freedom of expression, as well as our commitment to academic and scientific cooperation.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not confirm the incident occurred. CBP spokeswoman Hilton Beckham said via email:
If individuals violate the terms of a lawful immigration status and attempt to re-enter the country, officers will take appropriate action. Federal privacy restrictions prohibit CBP from discussing specific cases.
All persons arriving at a port of entry to the United States are subject to inspection on a case-by-case basis. As part of their critical national security mission, CBP officers routinely determine admissibility of foreign nationals using longstanding U.S. immigration law.
If an individual has material discovered on their electronic media that raises flags during an inspection, it can result in further analysis. Claims that such decisions are politically motivated are completely unfounded.
According to the anonymous "diplomatic source" who spoke to AFP, the researcher's phone and work computer were searched by border officials as part of a random check.
As mentioned by Beckham, searches of electronic devices are part of CBP inspections, though the practice is rare. In fiscal year 2024, fewer than 0.1% of travelers who encountered CBP officers at border crossings were subject to searches of their electronic devices, CBP said.
It was not possible to locate the researcher who was denied entry. It was also not possible to confirm which conference he was due to attend.