French Researcher Denied Entry to U.S. for Disliking Trump: Report

A French researcher was denied entry to the U.S. over text messages on his phone that were critical of President Donald Trump, according to several reports from media outlets in France. An FBI investigation was reportedly launched into the scientist, and it’s just the latest sign that America’s slide into authoritarianism is going to have serious ramifications for academic research in the near future. The researcher, who hasn’t been identified publicly, was traveling to Houston on March 9 for a conference, according to France24, though the airport where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stopped the scientist hasn’t been identified. France’s minister of higher education and research, Philippe Baptiste, only identified the researcher as someone working for the French National Center for Scientific Research. CBP reportedly went through the researcher’s phone and bags during a so-called “random” check and discovered text messages critical of Trump and his assault on science resear ... Read full article.