- Mads Mikkelsen, a 21-year-old tourist from Norway, claimed in an interview with a Norwegian newspaper that he was denied entry to the United States at Newark International Airport due to “narcotic paraphernalia” — a photo of the traveler with a homemade wooden pipe — and “extremist propaganda.” That propaganda was reportedly a popular meme poking fun at U.S. Vice President JD Vance. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol allegedly found both images on Mikkelsen’s cellphone.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Snopes, “Claims that Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry because of a JD Vance meme are FALSE. Mikkelsen was refused entry into the U.S. for his admitted drug use.”
- Mikkelsen shared with Snopes part of the DHS documentation from June 11, 2025, about his rejection for entry to the U.S. The page Mikkelsen provided did not address either of the images in question.
A rumor that 21-year-old Mads Mikkelsen, a Norwegian tourist, was denied entry to the United States at Newark International Airport in New Jersey circulated online in late June 2025. The alleged circumstances surrounding his refusal made the occurrence newsworthy: The traveler blamed his denial on an unflattering meme of Vice President JD Vance.
Mikkelsen was allegedly denied entry to the U.S. on June 11, 2025, when he was briefly detained in Newark before being sent back to Norway. The rumor made the rounds online, with users sharing the purported news on platforms like Facebook (archived), Threads (archived) and YouTube (archived).
Some users shared the rumor with statements varying from support of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to agreeing that the meme, which depicted Vance with a bald head and no eyebrows, was indeed funny.
The rumor gained popularity amid ongoing reports of ICE continuing controversial raids on immigrant communities across the U.S. However, the agency responsible for Mikkelsen’s alleged denial of entry was U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — though both agencies are part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The story was so pervasive Snopes readers bombarded our inbox with questions after it was picked up by mainstream news outlets such as The Daily Beast and Time Magazine.
While we are unable to issue a definitive rating on this claim, Mikkelsen has spoken at length about his experience — the reason the situation went viral in the first place.
In an interview with Norwegian newspaper Northern lightMikkelsen claimed he was placed in a holding cell upon his arrival and subjected to questioning “about drug trafficking, terrorist plots and right-wing extremism.“
Further, he said, “They took me to a room with several armed guards, where I had to hand over my shoes, mobile phone and backpack,“ before allegedly threatening him with a hefty fine if he did not unlock his cellphone for them. That is where the alleged meme of Vance came into play, along with a photo of Mikkelsen holding a homemade wooden pipe.
“Both pictures had been automatically saved to my camera roll from a chat app, but I really didn’t think that these innocent pictures would put a stop to my entry into the country,“ Mikkelsen Told Nordlys.
Nordlys also posted a video report about Mikkelsen to the paper’s Instagram (archived). That video depicted Mikkelsen holding out a phone showing the Vance meme in question.
However, CBP suggested it was the latter photo of the wooden pipe, not the JD Vance meme, that caused them to refuse Mikkelsen’s entry.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to questions from Snopes via email and said: “Claims that Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry because of a JD Vance meme are FALSE. Mikkelsen was refused entry into the U.S. for his admitted drug use.“
CBP echoed this statement on X (archived), adding that Mikkelsen’s denial was not because of “any memes or political reasons.“
Reached for comment through Facebook Messenger, Mikkelsen provided Snopes with a photograph of a page from DHS Form I-877also known as a “Record of Sworn Statement in Administrative Proceedings.“
The document is dated June 11, 2025, signed by a CBP officer named Yamil Valdes Crespo. The date matched reports of Mikkelsen’s arrival in Newark and the page shown in the photo featured a passage about Mikkelsen’s rejection. It read:
You have been determined to be inadmissible to the United States pursuant to section 212(a)(7)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as an immigrant who, at the time of application for admission, is not in possession of a valid, un-expired immigrant visa. You do not appear to be a bona fide visitor for pleasure and cannot overcome the presumption of being an intending immigrant at this time because it appears you are attempting to engage in unauthorized employment without authorization and proper documentation…
(Mads Mikkelsen)
Mikkelsen Customs Snopes, “Verbally they said it was because of extremist propaganda and narcotic paraphernalia,“ with “extremist propaganda“ referring to the alleged meme — although those details did not appear on the page Mikkelsen provided.
Further, the same document stated Mikkelsen’s reason for visiting the country was “to get to know the United States“ and confirmed he was never “arrested or convicted anywhere in the world.“
“It felt like I was a terrorist suspect where I was sitting. I tried to pull myself together several times, but in the end, I just wanted to get home again,“ Mikkelsen Told Nordlys Following the Incident. “I had traveled for twelve hours, slept poorly, and was physically and mentally completely exhausted even before they started the questioning.“
The questions didn’t stop once Mikkelsen arrived home in Tromsø, Norway. “I won’t give more comments as a lot of people are trying to reach me and all this attention is wearing me down rapidly,“ he told Snopes via Messenger.
Snopes reached out to the CBP press officer assigned to New York and New Jersey for comment and will update this piece if we hear back.
According to the meme database KnowYourMemethe particular Vance meme on Mikkelsen’s phone first circulated online following the vice presidential debate in October 2024, when an X user posted a modification to previously circulating memes known as “JD Vance babyface edits.“
In the new rendition, “Vance was given a bald head and thick lips. The edit received over 5,700 reposts and 144,000 likes in five days.“
Mikkelsen was not the only foreign national to claim U.S. officials detained them and subjected them to a phone search at an airport in June 2025. We previously looked into reports that CBP detained an Australian man at Los Angeles International Airport, searching his phone and refusing him entry over past blog posts.
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