French Research Minister Philippe Baptiste said a local scientist was denied entry to the United States this month after immigration officers searched his phone and found messages in which he criticized the Trump administration. The incident in question occurred last March 9.
The transalpine scientist had flown to the States on behalf of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). “I learned with concern that a French researcher who was traveling to a conference near Houston was denied entry to the United States before being expelled”, Baptiste said, “his measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy”.
“Freedom of opinion, free research, and academic freedom are values that we will continue to proudly uphold”, he added, “I will defend the right of all French researchers to be faithful to them, while respecting the law”.
According to sources, the scientist was allegedly accused by U.S. authorities of having messages on his cell phone laden with “hate and conspiracy” against the Trump administration. The researcher was also informed of an FBI investigation into his account, but he was later told that the charges had been dropped before he was deported.
Ironically, on the same day that the transalpine scientist was being removed from the U.S., Baptiste, a fervent critic of the U.S. government and Elon Musk, published a letter urging U.S. researchers to move to France.
The next day, the minister posted a photograph of himself during a virtual meeting with a researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who had decided to accept the invitation from the Aix-Marseille university, which is willing to welcome researchers who wish to leave the United States.
On March 12, Baptiste finally shared on X a video of a TV appearance in which he harshly criticized the way research on health, climate, energy, and artificial intelligence “is being torn apart in the U.S.”
