Hasan Piker detained at the border and questioned for hours over politics
"They straight up tried to get something out of me that I think they could use to basically detain me permanently"
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Hasan Piker, the biggest progressive political streamer in America, was detained by Customs and Border Protection for hours of questioning upon returning to the U.S. from a trip to France this weekend. Piker posted about the incident on X and later talked about it on stream.
He was detained in Chicago and questioned for two hours about protected journalistic activities like who he’s interviewed and his political beliefs. He was asked whether or not he’d interviewed Hamas, Houthis, or Hezbollah members. He was questioned about his opinions on Trump and Israel and asked about his history of bans on Twitch. His phone and laptop were not confiscated.
"They straight up tried to get something out of me that I think they could use to basically detain me permanently,” Piker said on stream following the incident. “… [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?”
“I kept repeating the same statement over and over again,” Piker said. “I kept saying... I'm on the side of civilians. I want the endless bloodshed to end. I am a pacifist. I want wars to end… which is insane because up until this moment. If you were to say as an American citizen, you stand 10 toes down with Hamas, or you stand 10 toes down with the Houthis, they can’t deny you entry into the country for that shit.”
“DHS flagging and detaining one of the U.S.’s largest left-wing voices for their political opinions while the Trump admin suggests they might suspend habeas corpus does not portend well for the future,” said lawyer and content creator Alex Peter.
Piker's detention occurs against a backdrop of increasing scrutiny of political activists and commentators, especially those who challenge the administration’s policies on Israel. This type of targeting creates an undeniable chilling effect. Already activists who are critical of our government are nervous to leave the country, given the crackdowns happening on speech and the increased scrutiny at the border. Detaining U.S. citizens over speech, especially a political commentator and journalist, allows border control to become a tool of political intimidation.
“The reason they’re doing [this] is to try to create an environment of fear, to try to get people like myself, or others who would be in my shoes that don't have that same level of security, to shut the fuck up,” Piker said on a stream recounting the details of the incident.
“Nothing I have done online is illegal as of now,” Piker added. “Laws may change in the future, and they might actually start prosecuting speech, which I do fear is the goal of this administration. But so far, everything I’ve done is fully protected under the first amendment. And none of the questions [I was asked by CPB] are actually valid questions to ask.”
“I think they [detained me] because they know who the fuck I am and they wanted to put the fear of god into me, not knowing that I'm a stubborn piece of shit and that's not going to work at all,” Piker said.
In a functioning democracy, public figures and journalists are supposed to be able to criticize the government without fear of retaliation. That criticism is vital in holding power to account. When authorities start treating political beliefs like security threats, it sends a loud, chilling message to anyone expressing themselves online, especially those with a platform, that they might be targeted. You can watch Piker get into the full details of his detainment in the video below.