Did authorities really deport a Norwegian man for having a meme of JD Vance on his cell phone? Here is the truth

A Norwegian tourist reported that he was interrogated for hours and sent back to his country for carrying a satirical meme Vice President JD Vance on his phone. However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has flatly denied that version, assuring that the reason for his inadmissibility was completely different.

The young Norwegian man's version

Mads Mikkelsen, 21, arrived at Newark International Airport, New Jersey, on June 11 to vacation in the United States. As he told the Norwegian media Nordlys, he was detained by border agents, interrogated in a holding cell, and forced to hand over his cell phone password under threat of a $5,000 fine or five years in prison.

Mikkelsen claimed that the agents asked him questions about drug trafficking, terrorism and right-wing extremism, despite the fact that he had no prior record. While searching his phone, he claims that agents found a humorous image showing JD Vance with a bald, egg-shaped head. Shortly thereafter, he was put on a flight back to Norway.

His testimony was picked up by the Daily Mail and other international media, generating criticism and speculation about a possible abuse of power by U.S. authorities.

The official version: It wasn't because of the meme

Mikkelsen's version was denied by Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who called the idea that the phone's contents prompted the decision false.

"Claims that Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry because of a JD Vance meme are FALSE," McLaughlin wrote on social media. Instead, she explained that the denial was due to "his admitted drug use."