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https://newrepublic.com/post/192946/french-scientist-denied-us-entry-trump-criticism>
"A French scientist on his way to a conference in the United States was
allegedly denied entry by Customs and Border Patrol over messages found on his
phone that criticized President Trump’s science cuts.
The French newspaper
Le Monde reports that on March 9, a space researcher was
randomly selected upon arrival in Houston for a search, and CBP found messages
criticizing the Trump administration’s treatment of scientists, which,
according to the agency, “conveyed hatred of Trump & could be qualified as
terrorism.”
The researcher’s phone and computer were allegedly confiscated, and he was sent
back to Europe the next day. The news prompted the attention of the French
government, which expressed alarm.
“I was told with concern that a French researcher, on a mission for the
National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), who was going to a conference
near Houston, was banned from entering the US before being expelled,” said
France’s Minister of Higher Education and Research Philippe Baptiste, in a
statement Wednesday. “This would have been taken by the US authorities because
the researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friendly
relations in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump
administration’s research policy.”
According to one source cited by
Agence France-Presse, CBP said that the
French researcher expressed “hate and conspiracy messages,” prompting an FBI
investigation, only for the charges to be dropped later. Another source said
the scientist was banned due to messages “that can be described as terrorism.”
The incident marks a disturbing change in how visitors to the United States are
treated. Legitimate criticism of the Trump administration occurs everywhere,
and it’s no secret that Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government
Efficiency effort has resulted in millions of dollars in cuts to scientific
research. The idea that criticism of this would rise to the level of terrorism
and result in someone being barred from the U.S. is absurd."
Via Joerg Fliege.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
