Australian Says He Was ‘Deported’ From US Because of His Writings

An Australian writer and former Columbia University student says he was detained for 12 hours by U.S. border officials, denied entry into the country and sent back to Australia due to his writings on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Newsweek reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

Why It Matters

The Trump administration’s pledge to carry out the largest mass deportation in United States history has extended to broader actions such as monitoring the social media of immigrants, in addition to arresting international students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that visas would be restricted for foreign officials who engage in censorship of Americans.

What To Know

Alistair Kitchen’s ordeal began when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport last week from Melbourne, with New York as his ultimate destination.

“I was denied entry, detained, and deported from the USA at the end of last week because of my reporting on the Columbia student protests,” Kitchen wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on June 15.

Newsweek reached out to Kitchen via email and social media for comment.

Kitchen, 33, said his name was called over an intercom at the airport, leading to lengthy questioning about his writings on pro-Palestine student protests at Columbia University, which were published on his personal blog, Kitchen Counter, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

In recent posts on X and Instagram, Kitchen said that U.S. agents “were waiting for me” when he got off the plane.

“They knew (or it felt like they knew) everything about me,” Kitchen wrote. “I had scrubbed my online presence expecting ad hoc digital sweeps; I was not prepared for their sophistication, for them having prepared a file on me.”

In another post, Kitchen said that officials told him the following: “We both know why you’ve been detained…it’s because of what you wrote about the protests at Columbia.”

That remark was reportedly followed by 30 to 45 minutes of questioning on Kitchen’s views regarding Israel, Palestine, Hamas, and his relationships with Jewish and Muslim friends, as well as how he would resolve the Middle East conflict.

Kitchen said that U.S. border agents demanded the passcode to his phone and accessed its content, adding that he received his phone once he arrived back in Melbourne.

He said that he complied with agents out of stress and fatigue, a decision he later regretted.

“I chose to be compliant, and that was an immense mistake,” Kitchen told The Sydney Morning Herald. “I urge all Australians to accept immediate deportation instead of complying with the request to hand over your phone…It is far worse, and if they are asking for your phone, there is no likelihood they will ever let you in.”

Deleting social media and other personal information 48 hours before a flight to the U.S. “is already too late,” he added.

Agents reportedly informed him that they found evidence of prior drug use. Kitchen admitted to legally purchasing marijuana in New York state and consuming illicit drugs in other countries.

“I should never have admitted those things to him,” he said. “I should have taken yet another opportunity to accept immediate deportation.”

The entire experience was described by Kitchen as “one of the harder experiences of my life,” saying the 15-hour flight was followed by a 12-hour detention and then another 15-hour flight back to Australia.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has updated its travel advice for Australians, warning that entry requirements to the United States are strict and that border officials have broad powers to determine admissibility. Travelers are cautioned that devices and online activity may be subject to inspection.

Newsweek reached out to DFAT and the Australian Embassy in the U.S. for comment.

What People Are Saying

Lesley Kitchen, mother of Alistair Kitchen, told The Sydney Morning Herald: “My immediate reaction was: What’s happened? I was trying to be calm when I was talking to them. I said, ‘Well, this is pretty shocking.’ They were able to say, ‘Yes, we’re getting quite a few of these now.’

“In Australia, we have a certain expectation of freedom of speech and someone reporting or actually observing and writing about a student protest wouldn’t be considered to be a threat, in my expectation, as an Aussie.”

What Happens Next

Kitchen said he will further discuss what happened to him on his blog, where all of the posts remain up and available to read.

“I observed the Columbia protests in the capacity of a journalist, but I am not backed by any news org,” he said on X. “I published the work on a blog I thought no one reads. Apparently the US Government does.”