Related Articles
Twitch streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker, a longtime critic of Donald Trump, said Monday he was questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after returning to the country over the weekend.
Piker explained on Twitch, where he streams as HasanAbi, that he was pulled aside at Chicago O’Hare International Airportafter a flight from Paris, even though he is enrolled in Global Entry. The influencer said he was questioned for two hours about his job, political affiliation, and if he had a connection with terrorist groups.
“They take me to this backroom. This backroom is not great. It’s destined in the most hostile way. The vibes are fucked back there,” he said. “It’s very obvious they knew who the fuck I was.”
Piker said he was asked, “Do you talk about Trump?” to which Piker says he responded, “Why are you asking me this?” before saying he told the agent, “I don’t like Trump. What are you gonna do? It’s protected by the First Amendment … He said he was gonna end the wars, he hasn’t ended the wars. What the fuck is up with that.”
Piker said the agent he spoke to was “very sympathetic” to Piker when he was asked questions about Israel’s war in Gaza, and when he was asked if he was involved with Hamas. (On X, Hasan said that the experience “wasn’t that bad” but was a “very strange experience overall.”)
“They straight up tried to get something out of me that I think they could use to basically detain me permanently,” Piker said. “[The agent] kept saying stuff like, ‘Do you like Hamas? Do you support Hamas? Do you think Hamas is a terror group or a resistance group?’”
Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary,confirmed to The Washington Post that Piker was taken in for questioning, but claimed it had nothing to do with his political views.
“Our officers are following the law, not agendas,” McLaughlin told the outlet. “Upon entering the country, this individual was referred for further inspection — a routine, lawful process that occurs daily, and can apply for any traveler. Once his inspection was complete, he was promptly released.”
The incident with Piker comes amid concerns that the Trump administration is targeting people with anti-Trump and pro-Palestinian views. In March, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist with a green card, after he led protests at Columbia University. And several days ago, a judge ordered the release of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts student the Trump administration detained after she co-authored a pro-Palestine op-ed.
