A 21-year-old tourist has described the horrendous treatment he allegedly received after being denied entry to the USA due to a meme depicting JD Vance as bald being found on his phone

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[–] 253 points 1 year ago (1 child)

Our leaders are NOT Snowflakes or Emotional!

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  • [–] 185 points 1 year ago (13 children)

    This not only has been going on awhile, it's worse than it sounds.

    A French scientist was denied entry at the border earlier this year, in March, after officers unearthed messages criticising Trump on his phone.

    Mikkelsen explained: "They threatened me with a minimum fine of $5,000 or five years in prison if I refused to provide the password to my phone."

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  • [–] [S] 74 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    Any idea if these threats are actionable? He's not a US citizen to just fine or imprison.

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  • [–] 95 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    They have "deported" dozens of US citizens at this point. Usually, being a non-citizen makes you more vulnerable to arbitrary bullshit at the border, whereas if you're a citizen you can stand up much more so for your rights if they're trying to push you into something illegal, but as of this year it's starting to matter less and less.

    Everything is actionable once the rule of law collapses. At this point, if you're crossing the border, you're in danger of whatever they want to do to you.

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  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    they are not legal, as the first amendment applies even to noncitizens. however that doesn’t mean they can’t deny entry for “any” reason. they are fascist after all.

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    [–] 112 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    This can't be true because conservatives always cry about free speech.

    If this is true then that means conservatives are massive hypocritical assholes.

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  • [–] 66 points 1 year ago (3 children)
  • [–] 109 points 1 year ago (18 children)

    imagine going on holiday in a country where they check your phone for memes

    seeing the grand canyon seems cool but it can wait until that lunatic and his friends are gone

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  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    Keep in mind that TSA searching peoples' phones was already policy under the last few administrations. Which is part of why I wasnt interested in traveling there even before the lunatic.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago

    I've been avoiding travel to the US since the Patriot Act that followed 9/11 started that kind of shit and more in general the US started moving away from Democracy and into Autocracy.

    Last time I felt like traveling to the North American continent I just went to Canada instead for a whole month - sea kayaking in British Columbia, hiking in the Canadian Rockies, sightseeing in Quebec . Highly recommended by the way.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Absolutely!

    I have family in the US. Uncles and aunts and cousins. One of my cousins have a child who I've never met. I would love to meet them all.

    But there is no way I'm going to the states in the current condition. And even if the administration would be replaced, I think it would take years for the states to recover to the point where I would visit.

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    [–] 82 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    The United States is such a shithole country lol

    No one should travel there.

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  • [–] 57 points 1 year ago (36 children)
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    [–] 54 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Please be satire, please be satire...

    reads

    ...Oh, fuck.

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  • [–] 41 points 1 year ago (1 child)
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    [–] 39 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    But, but Elon told me comedy was legal now!

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    [–] 37 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    Same thing i asked the other guy who posted this.

    Do you have a source that isn’t a tabloid? The only other sources i found were other tabloids.

    I’m sure horrible shit is happening but tabloids aren't news. They are meant to get an emotional reaction via mistruths and exaggeration. And you having a one day old account makes this even more suspect.

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    [–] 34 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    See - this is the thing with people going on about how its so oppressive in countries outside of "The West" where they will arrest people for insulting their king on Facebook or some shit.

    We are no better. I'm not American but Britain does the same kind of shit. Read some declassified police case files, the cops pick on weird shit on people's phones.

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    [–] 34 points 1 year ago*

    Mads Mikkelsen

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  • [–] 30 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    If you are doing any international travel, leave your personal phone at home and bring a burner.

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  • [–] 42 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I have traveled the world, I just returned from China. Nobody has ever asked for my phone. This is crazy and it's definitely not the norm and is not happening even in very strict regime countries. This is the new USA.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    It's not the norm but it does happen quite a bit, especially in authoritarian countries at land borders where the officials are always looking for a way to justify their jobs. It happened to me last year and that was in China, although in that case leaving not entering.

    PS: for info, that was in Xinjiang at possibly the highest security border in the world. I showed the official a bunch of my mundane tourist photos, which was enough to have me on my way. Not a pleasant experience though.

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    [–] 25 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Just get a burner to travel. Quit bringing your phones here.

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  • [–] 23 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    JD Vance meme

    No, that’s just how he looks.

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    [+] 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)
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    [–] 20 points 1 year ago
    [–] 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    He claims he was then strip-searched, forced to give blood samples, a facial scan and fingerprints.

    Imagine having your biometrics taken and your blood forcibly siphoned by state-backed goons with guns for a meme.

    Heads need to roll.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago

    Lets teach that uneducated moron Vance the Streisand effect.

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  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Welcome to the new authoritarian America. Brought to you by craven politicians and a huge group of dipshits who consistently vote against their best interests because they only consume information straight from the sewer pipe that is fox news. Free speech is under threat more with each passing day, and once the Palantir database is complete, they are really going to go all out with their oppression.

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  • [+] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 child)
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    Magas hate freedom

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