The Strange Case of the French Scientist Denied Entry to the United States
Beware of one-sided tales critical of the president’s immigration policies
By Andrew R. Arthur on March 21, 2025
The New York Times ran a story this week with sensational headline: “U.S. Turned Away French Scientist Over Views on Trump Policies, France Says”. The gist of the article is that the administration has somehow convinced CBP line agents to punish the president’s foreign critics, including those who are purely academics concerned about the state of science in the Second Age of Trump.
The problem is the story is likely not true.
Inspection at the Border
I have written extensively in the past about the “inspection protocol”, the rules that CBP officers in the agency’s Office of Field Operations (OFO) must follow when determining whether to admit aliens at the ports of entry, whether on land or sea or at airports.
The inspection protocol is set forth in section 235 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and here’s how it goes, in brief.
A foreign national either applies for a visa at a consulate abroad and receives that visa, or is a national of one of the 43 “visa waiver” countries who don’t need visas to come for tourism or business and has completed the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) form prior to arrival, or simply skips the process entirely and show up without a visa.
https://cis.org/Arthur/Strange-Case-French-Scientist-Denied-Entry-United-States
