(Update) The claim is rejected by the US department concerned. See eg https://usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2025/06/25/tourist-denied-entry-us-phone-search-va

(Update) The claim is rejected by the US department concerned. See eg https://usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2025/06/25/tourist-denied-entry-us-phone-search-vance-meme/84342280007/ https://usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2025/06/25/tourist-de... Whoever you believe, it turns out that knee jerk reactions are rarely useful in stories like these.