Denied entry to US over JD Vance bald head meme, says Norwegian tourist

A Norwegian tourist says he was detained and deported from the United States after immigration officers found a meme mocking US Vice President JD Vance on his phone, according to a report published by the Daily Mail.

Mads Mikkelsen, 21, arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on June 11, eager to begin a long-anticipated vacation. But instead of heading to baggage claim, he says he was pulled aside by border agents, interrogated for hours, and placed in a holding cell.

Speaking to Norwegian outlet Nordlys, Mikkelsen described the experience as “an abuse of power and harassment,” claiming that US officers aggressively questioned him about drug trafficking, terrorism, and right-wing extremism—topics he insists had no connection to him.

The situation escalated, he says, when he was threatened with a USD 5,000 fine or five years in prison unless he surrendered the password to his phone. Upon unlocking it, officers allegedly found a meme saved in his camera roll that depicted Vice President JD Vance with an exaggeratedly bald, egg-shaped head.

Mikkelsen says the discovery of the meme sealed his fate: he was sent back to Norway the same day, without ever leaving the airport.

The US Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the incident, and it's unclear whether the meme alone was the primary reason for his denied entry.

While travelers are subject to broad electronic searches at US ports of entry, the case has sparked online debate about digital privacy, freedom of expression, and the role of humor in political critique—especially when crossing international borders.