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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[–] 180 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] 73 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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  • [–] 94 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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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago

    There's neither even a rhyme nor reason to Trump's fascism (or to fascism in general). But it does correlate with the observation that they are fantasists. They do things out of whim and emotions, disregarding expert advice and opinions. Any promulgation of fascism will eventually lead to its own downfall, because they live in a fantasy world where they believe that their will alone could shape reality; ignoring the basic common sense that reality could never be altered to one's desires.

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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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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago*

    It has been ruled by SCOTUS that the Constitution specifically does not apply at border entry to non-citizens:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_ex_rel._Knauff_v._Shaughnessy

    the Constitution does not grant aliens any protections when trying to enter the United States.

    https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C18-8-7-3/ALDE_00001263/['article',%20'14']

    an alien "on the threshold of initial entry stands on a different footing" because he or she is theoretically outside the United States and typically beyond the veil of constitutional protection.

    https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/345/206/

    Although a lawfully resident alien may not captiously be deprived of his constitutional rights [to due process], the alien in this case is an entrant alien or "assimilated to that status" for constitutional purposes.

    The Attorney General therefore may exclude this alien without a hearing, as authorized by the emergency regulations promulgated pursuant to the Passport Act, and need not disclose the evidence upon which that determination rests.

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

    Depressingly, SCOTUS has ruled that you really don't have the same rights at border crossings as you do once you've passed through.

    This applies to citizens as well as foreign nationals.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago*

    How do you put someone in prison who has not entered your country yet?

    And I thought it was already ruled that they can't hold someone for that long just for not giving up a password at the border?

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