A French researcher took an airplane to Texas to attend an academic conference in Houston in mid-March. He was blocked from leaving the airport and had to, instead, fly all the way home. Supposedly because a phone search found messages classified as “hatred toward Trump.”

Philippe Baptiste, France’s minister of both higher education and research released a scathing statement to the French press. A researcher and employee of France’s National Centre for Scientific Research tried to attend a Houston conference. They were denied entry to the U.S. To summarize, the statement claimed authorities searched their phone and zeroed in on certain exchanges. The traveler had expressed a personal opinion against President Trump cutting research funding.

French press cited an anonymous “diplomatic source” which claimed the messages were interpreted as “hatred toward Trump and can be classified as terrorism.”

Reading between the lines, the researcher snubbed by U.S. Homeland Security is technically Baptiste’s employee. They may have even been traveling on CNRS’s dime. Baptiste is likely also against any administration slashing research budgets as that slows down CNRS and scientific research groups worldwide. So this is a story Baptiste would probably want publicized.

The story of a French scientist blocked from exchanging ideas at a conference went viral on Facebook, X, and other platforms. it was a bad look for President Trump’s administration. Vice President JD Vance had just visited Munich and announced, “I believe deeply that there is no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people.”

President Trump’s administration weighs in on the French scientist

Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, took to Twitter to respond to the French stories. She called them “not true.” She didn’t dispute that the researcher had some personal opinions against President Trump’s policies evident in texts. But she said, “Any claim that his removal was based on political beliefs is blatantly false.” She said DHS had another reason for turning the scientist away.

“The French researcher in question was in possession of confidential information on his electronic device from Los Alamos National Laboratory.”

LANL is known for its central role to developing the atomic bomb and remains one of the US Department of Energy’s 16 major research labs. McLaughlin added the confidential information violated the researcher’s NDA. It was “something he admitted to taking without permission and attempted to conceal.”

So what really happened?

Was this researcher caught for breaking an NDA and denied access to the U.S., but told their boss they couldn’t attend the conference for political reasons? Did the DHS discover multiple things on their phone and the real reason they were denied entry was lost in translation? Or is one of the two sides misrepresenting this story?

The truth is we may never know. The DHS has refused to provide further comment, or details. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection won’t comment on the specific incident. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs simply said, “We deplore this situation and reiterate our desire to promote freedom of expression, as well as our commitment to academic and scientific cooperation.” CNRS said the scientist at the heart of the incident doesn’t want to comment.

The CBP searches fewer than 0.1% of travelers’ electronic devices, but has the right to do so. It also has the right to deny anyone entry to the U.S. And unless it detains the traveler, or the traveler presses charges, these stories often fade away. Unless, of course, the story is a political hot-button. And so far, all the “information” we have comes from statements by figureheads who weren’t there, each of whom have their own unique political motivations.

I am a US-based writer, currently traveling in Europe. Even before this story broke, I’ve encountered multiple European professionals hesitant to attend conferences in the US this winter for various reasons. Whatever truly happened in the Houston airport, travelers worldwide are following the story closely.