US denies French researcher was refused entry for his political views

A US Department of Homeland Security spokesman says the French researcher was carrying confidential information from a nuclear research laboratory. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

UPDATED Mar 22, 2025, 01:14 AM

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WASHINGTON - US authorities on March 21 rejected claims that a French researcher was denied entry because of his political views, saying he had confidential information from a nuclear research laboratory.

The French government said on March 19 that a researcher had been prevented from entering the United States, where he planned to attend a scientific conference in Texas.

“This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because this researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy,” said Mr Philippe Baptiste, the French minister of higher education and research.

But a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to AFP that “any claim that his removal was based on political beliefs is blatantly false.”