Norwegian Tourist Allegedly Denied Entry into U.S. Over J.D. Vance Photoshop
So, note to anyone traveling to the U.S. soon — clear out the meme folder!
Published 3 months ago in Wtf
A man was allegedly kicked out of the U.S. for having a J.D. Vance meme on his phone.
Remember those memes from a few months ago where people were editing J.D. Vance to look like a little treatboy? Well, you might want to delete them from your phone before traveling.
That’s because one Norwegian tourist claims he was rejected at the U.S. border after agents found an edited photo of J.D. Vance on his phone.
BREAKING: A 21-year-old Norwegian tourist, Mads Mikkelsen, claims he was denied entry to the United States and harassed by ICE agents after they discovered a bald JD Vance meme on his phone.
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) June 24, 2025
Don’t you dare share the meme that he was harassed over below:
“I felt prejudiced,… pic.twitter.com/KpPQ14YPf2
According to Norwegian media outlet Nordlys, a 21-year-old man named Mads Mikkelsen (no, not that one) had planned a two-month trip to the U.S., which included visiting friends and several national parks.
But when he landed in Newark, he was immediately detained by border control, who he says began asking him questions about smuggling and extremism, which he claims was unprompted.
Ireland Labour Leader Bacik: Unthinkable in a Western democracy. This week, a young Norwegian tourist was detained by ICE at Newark Airport and sent back to Oslo. Why? He had this meme on his phone...a meme depicting VP JD Vance as a baby.
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) June 25, 2025
*holds up meme*pic.twitter.com/ykiwmwHk1c
Eventually, they requested access to his phone, which, as a foreigner visiting the U.S., he had to do at risk of fine or jail. When they went through it, they found two questionable images: one of a wooden pipe that Mikkelsen made, and another in which J.D. Vance has been edited to look like a plump child.
As a consequence of this finding, Mikkelsen says that things got worse. He was strip-searched, forced to provide fingerprints and blood samples, and then, after five hours, sent back to Norway.
So, note to anyone traveling to the U.S. soon — clear out the meme folder!