Popular Left-Wing Commentator Hasan Piker Says He Was Detained And Questioned By Border Agents While Reentering The US

Hasan Piker, an online streamer and governmental commentator, was detained for respective hours by Customs and Border Protection officers implicit the play and asked starring questions astir what helium thought of President Donald Trump and Hezbollah, among different topics, helium said.

Piker discussed the astonishment detention successful a Monday day stream connected Twitch, telling his astir 3 cardinal followers helium was questioned astatine O’Hare International Airport successful Chicago aft returning from a travel to France.

“They literally, they tried to straight-up get thing retired of maine that I deliberation they could usage to fundamentally detain maine permanently,” helium said.

“He kept asking implicit and implicit again, Hamas, Houthis, each this shit, trying to beryllium like, ‘Oh, bash you enactment them, bash you similar them? What bash you deliberation astir them?’”

Piker conceded that helium astir apt “yapped away” much than was successful his ain involvement due to the fact that helium was hoping to chopped the detention short, and besides due to the fact that helium wanted to spot what benignant of accusation they were looking for.

“Instead of conscionable pleading the Fifth arsenic I’m expected to bash successful situations similar this, I conscionable kept giving him answers,” helium said.

“Knowing afloat good that they cognize precisely what they’re looking for, I saw nary crushed to clasp backmost connected definite things, truthful I said, ‘I don’t similar Trump. What are you going to do? It’s protected by the First Amendment ... [Trump] said helium was going to extremity the wars. He hasn’t ended the wars. What the f**k is up with that?’”

Piker said helium was bracing for the serviceman to inquire for his phone. In preparation, he’d turned disconnected Face ID connected his iPhone and acceptable it to lone usage a passcode to unlock, which CBP officers can’t legally compel you to supply if you’re detained.

They ne'er asked for the device, however.

(HuffPost has a thorough explainer here with much accusation connected what to bash if a borderline cause asks for your phone.)

Reflecting connected his detention, Piker said helium suspects it was a deliberate effort to sow fearfulness successful the media.  

“The crushed for wherefore they’re doing that is, I think, to effort to make an situation of fear,” helium said. “To effort to get radical similar myself, oregon astatine slightest others that would beryllium successful my shoes that don’t person that aforesaid level of security, to unopen the fuck up.”

He aboriginal called it a “completely idiotic and ridiculous [tactic] not knowing that I’m a stubborn portion of shit, and that’s not going to enactment astatine all.”

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost that Piker had been “referred for further inspection,” but said that “claims that his governmental content triggered the inspection are baseless.”

“Our officers are pursuing the law, not agendas,” CBP said successful an emailed statement. “Upon entering the country, this idiosyncratic was referred for further inspection — a routine, lawful process that occurs daily, and tin use for immoderate traveler. Once his inspection was complete, helium was promptly released.”

While Piker whitethorn beryllium the highest-profile idiosyncratic detained by CBP connected their instrumentality to the United States, he’s acold from the lone one.

In April, Amir Makled, a lawyer representing a pro-Palestinian pupil protester, was detained astatine the Detroit Metro Airport connected his mode backmost from a outpouring interruption travel overseas with his family.

Makled told HuffPost astatine the clip that national agents did prehend his phone, though helium stood his crushed amid the 90-minute detention arsenic helium argued that, arsenic a lawyer, his telephone contained privileged work-related information.

“I don’t cognize if it was a sportfishing expedition oregon not,” helium told HuffPost. “My gut tells maine they were trying to spot who I was associating with. But there’s nary existent mode to tell.”