A young Norwegian holidaymaker has alleged he was barred from entering the United States and subjected to interrogation by ICE agents after they found a JD Vance meme on his mobile.

Mads Mikkelsen, 21, recounted his ordeal to Norwegian news outlet Nordlys, detailing how his arrival at Newark Airport in New Jersey on June 11 took an unexpected turn. Mads, who had planned a leisurely visit with friends in New York followed by a trip to Austin, Texas, described his treatment by US immigration officials as “harassment and abuse of power”.

“I felt prejudiced, suspected and simply humiliated even then, in front of many other people at the airport,” the Tromsø native said. “They took me to a room with several armed guards, where I had to hand over my shoes, mobile phone and backpack.”

During the intense questioning session, Mads was grilled about his intentions in the US, with officers delving into deeply personal territory. “They asked direct questions about drug smuggling, terrorist plans and right-wing extremism, completely without reason,” he asserted.

The meme-bearing tourist added: “They demanded full information about everyone I was going to meet in the US, including name, address, phone number and what they did for work.” Mads’ mother was also set to join him later during his trip, with plans to explore various national parks together.

Mikkelsen recounted his exhausting 12-hour journey, during which he barely slept and was physically and mentally drained even before undergoing interrogation. This intense scrutiny follows a strict clampdown by US Customs and Border Protection, implemented after President Donald Trump’s re-election, permitting agents to inspect travellers’ phones.

A notable case occurred in March when a French scientist was denied entry to the U.S. after border officials uncovered texts criticising Trump on their phone. Mikkelsen shared a disturbing detail, stating: “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.”

Upon surrendering his password, Mads was informed that he wouldn’t be allowed to proceed with his trip due to two images deemed objectionable by the officers. One was a meme depicting JD Vance with a bald, egg-shaped head, a widely shared image on social media in March that even the Vice President had posted a version of.

The second photo was of Mads holding a wooden pipe he had crafted years ago. “Both pictures had been automatically saved to my camera roll from a chat app, but I really didn’t think that these innocent pictures would put a stop to my entry into the country,” the 21-year-old acknowledged.

Mads shared with Nordlys that he tried to explain the images were just harmless jokes, but his explanations fell on deaf ears with immigration officials. He alleges that he endured a strip search and was forced to undergo blood tests, facial scans, and fingerprinting.

“Later I was taken back in, and the situation got even worse. I was pushed up against a wall and was strip-searched with a lot of force. They were incredibly harsh and used physical force the whole time,” he stated. “I felt completely devastated and broke down, and was close to crying several times. I was on the verge of panic. It felt like I was a terrorist suspect where I was sitting. I tried to pull myself together several times, but in the end, I just wanted to get home again.”

Mads recalled how he was then locked up for another five hours, denied food and water, and forcibly sent back to Oslo on the very day he’d arrived for what should have been the holiday of a lifetime.

“I don’t feel there is any point in contacting the State Department, nor do I think they have any power against such a powerful and strict country as the United States,” Mads acknowledged. Mathias Rongved from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that Norwegians need to be savvy about US rules prior to their visit.

“Most trips to the US go without any particular problems,” he remarked.

“Entry regulations can change at short notice, and it is the traveller’s responsibility to have valid documents and be familiar with the current entry regulations. It is the immigration authorities upon arrival who decide whether you are rejected at the border. Norwegian authorities cannot intervene in this decision.

“It is also not necessarily the case that we receive a message either from other countries’ border authorities or the Norwegian traveller if the person in question is not allowed to enter a country.”

However, US Customs and Border Protection has denied that the meme was responsible for Mikkelson being barred entry. The agency said: “Mads Mikkelsen was not denied entry for any memes or political reasons, it was for his admitted drug use.”