A Norwegian tourist claims his American vacation turned into a nightmare after U.S. border agents allegedly denied him entry because of a meme — one mocking Vice President JD Vance.
Mads Mikkelsen, 21, was traveling from Norway to visit friends in New York and Texas when he says U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers searched his phone and found an altered image of Vance with a bald, egg-shaped head.
According to Mads, that meme alone triggered a 12-hour ordeal, complete with intense questioning, a strip search, and ultimately deportation back to Oslo.
“I felt prejudged, suspected and humiliated,” Mads told Norwegian outlet Nordlys. “They asked about drug smuggling, terrorist plots and right-wing extremism without cause.”
He says CBP officials threatened him with prison time and a $5,000 fine unless he gave up his phone password. Once inside, agents allegedly deemed two images problematic: the now-viral Vance meme and a photo of Mads holding a homemade wooden pipe.
“The images were automatically saved from a chat app. I never imagined they’d cost me my trip,” he said.
CBP pushes back: “Not about a meme”
But U.S. authorities tell a very different story.
CBP publicly denied the meme had anything to do with it.
“Fact Check: FALSE,” the agency tweeted alongside a screenshot of a Daily Mail article. “Mads Mikkelsen was not denied entry for any memes or political reasons — it was for his admitted drug use.”
The Department of Homeland Security also weighed in, stating: “Claims that Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry because of a meme are unequivocally FALSE. Mikkelson was refused entry into the U.S. for his admitted drug use.”
Despite the government’s denial, Mads insists his treatment was extreme and politically motivated.
He alleges that after surrendering his phone, CBP agents escalated their interrogation, forcibly strip-searched him, drew blood, scanned his face and fingerprints, and then held him for five hours without food or water before sending him home.
“I was on the verge of panic. I felt like I was being treated as a terrorist,” he told Nordlys.
Meme culture meets border security
The meme in question originated from X user @DaveMcNamee3000 in October 2024. As part of a running joke, the user promised to “turn JD Vance into a progressively apple-cheeked baby” for every 100 likes the post received. The resulting bald-headed edit of Vance circulated widely on social media—including reportedly onto Mads’ phone.
The incident is raising concerns among some international travelers, especially as the CBP has increased its scrutiny of personal devices at the border.
While U.S. law does permit officers to inspect phones and laptops — even without a warrant — cases like Mads’ highlight the gray area between national security and personal privacy.
Mads says he no longer feels safe visiting the U.S., adding: “I just wanted to see my friends and travel with my mom through national parks. Instead, I was locked up and humiliated.”
Norway’s Foreign Ministry has since reminded citizens to carefully review U.S. travel regulations, especially regarding digital content and past admissions.
As for Mads, his American dream trip is over — for now. But the meme that may or may not have triggered it all? Still making the rounds online.
