Overview

• Australian writer Alistair Kitchen was held for nearly 12 hours by CBP at Los Angeles International Airport on June 12 before being deported to Melbourne.
• DHS confirmed Kitchen violated his ESTA terms by initially denying then admitting to legally purchasing and using marijuana.
• Kitchen alleges officers interrogated him about his pro-Palestinian reporting at Columbia University and conducted a thorough search of his electronic devices.
• PEN America and the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the removal as a warning to journalists and a potential curb on free expression at U.S. borders.
• CPJ has issued a travel advisory urging journalists entering the United States to prepare for intensified searches of laptops and phones.