In January, a man returned to the US from Nicaragua landed at Miami International Airport, passing through customs and waiting for his baggage request. By the time he left the airport, US customs and border security personnel had revoked his global entry status.
In April, the social media travel content creator was also detained by the MIA for hours as an officer looked into social media accounts and asked about the status of his father’s immigration.
And a few weeks ago, an intensive care nurse in and out of Cuba and in Miami, often said he was stopped by customs to check his bags with everyone else in his flight.
What they all have in common: they are American citizens, and recent experiences at customs at airports in South Florida make them both confused and worried.
It is not new or illegal for us to detain and question citizens when customs officials re-enter the country, but reports of citizens being detained at airports have skyrocketed and called for access to mobile phones and social media accounts under President Donald Trump’s second administration, which terrifies among travelers.
“I think it’s Trump’s fault,” said Jorgelopez Gutierrez, a nurse at the Miami ICU. Gutierrez, 41, emigrated from Cuba in 2010, frequently travels to Cuba to visit his wife. He said he was stopped by habit several times before and was quickly let go, but his recent treatment during his return from Cuba stumbled upon him.
After he disembarked on the May 7 flight, Gutierrez said customs searched all passenger bags before leaving the airport. “It was white, black, Latino. They don’t care if you’re a citizen or a non-citizen,” he said. A similar incident occurred on May 12th. Gutierrez said the other passengers were not him, but they had to turn their phones over on his flight and were asked about the cash they had.
The Trump administration has argued that habits are just doing the job. American citizens cannot deny entry into the United States, but travelers from other countries can. Customs said in a statement to the Miami Herald that it is not true that less than 0.01% of travelers are searching for devices and that they are searching more electronic media in the new Trump administration.
American citizens who say they may have been targeted or questioned because of their profession or political views have made headlines for states like Amir Makurd, a Michigan-based immigration lawyer. McCle was taken into custody at Detroit Metro Airport and asked to hand over his phone. Popular left-wing online streamer Hasan Piker said he was detained for hours at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after agents asked about his opinions on Trump, Gaza and other political topics.
“We act in the country’s greatest interests and enforce the law accordingly,” a CBP spokesman said in a statement. “All allegations that political beliefs cause inspections and removals are unfounded and irresponsible.”
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“According to the law, it’s not an agenda.”
Sav, a young woman from Fort Lauderdale, usually posts easygoing video blogs about traveling on a Tiktok account, which features only her first name. However, recently her video details her tense hours of encounters with customs in Mia.
Sav, who spoke to the Miami New Times in an interview and asked the publication not to publish her full name, landed at MIA on April 26th from a trip to Europe, experienced a global entry. In her original video of the incident with over 2 million viewers on the platform, Sav says that officials prevented her from continuing the airport, searching social media accounts and asking for proof of information about her income and the status of her father’s immigration. The officer asked if there were any future travel plans outside the US when she answered no, he “screamed the exact exact questions and screamed in my face,” Sav told Tiktok.
She’s not sure why she was stopped, but Sav speculated that the New Times might have something to do with her brand Trump for dumps selling anti-trump items like sweaters and hats. Sav noted that CBP never asked her about the brand. Herald reached the SAV via email, but she disagreed with the interview.
On May 12, the Department of Homeland Security responded to a post that shared one of Sav’s Tiktok videos. “False: She claims that her political beliefs sparked the test. Our officers follow the law, not the agenda,” DHS posted on its X account.
Amien Kacou, a staff attorney for the ACLU in Florida, said knowing whether there will be a significant increase in the number of citizens detained upon re-entry is likely early in the current administration. Anyway, the horror among travelers is evident as the stories of detained citizens circulate online.
“The best explanation that comes to mind now as to why this is Jittyst is because some participants, including citizens and immigrants, are being targeted for free speech,” Kakou said. “So it’s very logical that people should be worried at this point and that they might be targeted by their free speech.”
Global entry has been cancelled
For some travelers, the stories circulating online are warning stories about what happens when they return from abroad. Some U.S. citizens, including lawyers, are beginning to carry burner phones and remove social media from their mobile phones when they return home from abroad.
“Like all lawyers, I feel worried,” Kaku said. “A lawyer who specifically sues the federal government and sues the Department of Homeland Security.”
Peter Kinter, a former U.S. Customs attorney who heads the U.S. Customs and International Trade Law Group at Gunstar Law Firm in South Florida and a South Florida-based lawyer, is important to remember that travelers can be questioned or detained at any time at the airport or at any time at the airport.
“Whether you pass through customs or global entry, you’re still subject to inspection,” Quinter said. Global Entries is a customs program that allows for rapid clearance for pre-approved travelers that are considered low risk.
Jose G., a 37-year-old barber and hairstylist who lives in North Carolina, told the Herald that he returned to America from Nicaragua in January with his older brother after visiting his mother. Jose asked not to publish his full surname due to fear of retaliation from the government, but traveled frequently a few months ago and qualified for global entry. He said his arrival in Mia was on track until he reached the package request.
“It was everywhere I’ve never seen before,” he said. He said he realized that officers were stopping random people and asking for papers. He laughed at himself and muttered, “This is ridiculous.” The policeman noticed.
As soon as he got his bag, Jose said the officers stopped him and asked for his documents. Jose was under the impression that he was a US citizen who settled customs, so he didn’t need to provide identification in a package request.
“I’m very tattooed, I have piercings. I stick out like a thumb. But on the contrary, I was already going through the process. Why are you asking me something like this from you when I’ve already gone through the process?” Jose told the Herald. “So when they asked me for mine, I said, “I have already experienced a global entry so I don’t need to show you. I’m not comfortable showing you. Why do you need my paper?”
Jose and the officers went back and forth for a few minutes. Ultimately, officers told Jose he was in custody, and his global entry was cancelled. The officer took him to a small room where they began to pass through his luggage.
After about 30 minutes, Jose was let go. A few days later he received an email from Customs confirming that his global entry had been cancelled.
Jose said he was worried about what would happen next when he travels to Nicaragua. He said his experience felt more like a threat, not a national security, especially as a “brown guy with a tattoo.”
“I hope there’s no retaliation coming, but I think it’s important for people to know and know what’s going on,” he said. “I have traveled internationally many times. It was different. I felt different.”
