France‘s minister to higher education and research, Philippe Baptiste, was detailed at a Houston airport and ultimately sent back to his home country after “anti-Trump messages” were found on his devices during a search. From multiple reporters at Le Monde (with a rough translation):
The space researcher was allegedly randomly checked on arrival, during which his professional computer and personal telephone were allegedly searched. Similarly, messages about the Trump administration’s treatment of scientists have been found. He is said to have been criticized for messages ‘that translate hatred towards Trump and can be described as terrorism.’ His professional and personal equipment was allegedly confiscated and the researcher was reportedly sent back to Europe the following day.
According to reports, Baptiste was sent back to Europe without his phone and computer—which suggests U.S. authorities confiscated his digital belongings rather than return them. The incident combines Donald Trump’s war on foreign entry/tourism with hostility toward researchers in general:
In a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP), he regretted the decision ‘taken by American authorities because this researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy.’
On the same day that Baptiste was detained, per The Guardian, he had published an open letter urging American scientists and researchers to relocate to France.
SOURCES
- Le Monde
- Le Monde (in English w/ paywall)
- The Guardian
- France24
