Incident Details
- Date of Incident
- May 18, 2017
- Targets
- Ali Hamedani (BBC News)
- Border Point
- O'Hare International Airport
- Target Nationality
- US Citizenship Status of Target
- U.S. non-resident
- Denied Entry?
- No
- Stopped Previously?
- No
- Asked for device access?
- Yes
- Asked intrusive questions about work?
- Unknown
Border Stop
- Equipment Seized
- Status of Seized Equipment
- Returned in full
- Search Warrant Obtained
- No
Equipment Search or Seizure
Passengers arrive at O'Hare airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. February 4, 2017.
May 18, 2017
Ali Hamedani, a reporter for BBC World Service, was stopped in Chicago O’Hare airport on May 18, 2017, two days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning entry to the U.S. for 90 days for individuals from seven countries, including Iran.
The British-Iranian journalist, who said he was traveling on a Media I Visa, told the Committee to Protect Journalists that border agents detained and questioned him for over two hours. Hamedani also said that border agents searched his phone and computer and read his Twitter feed.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
