Overview
- A French researcher was expelled from the U.S. on March 10, 2025, after being detained at Houston airport during a customs inspection.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claims the researcher violated a confidentiality agreement by possessing sensitive information from Los Alamos National Laboratory.
- French Minister of Higher Education Philippe Baptiste suggested the expulsion might have been influenced by private messages critical of Trump’s policies, a claim denied by U.S. authorities.
- The French government and scientific institutions expressed alarm, emphasizing the incident’s threat to academic freedom and international research cooperation.
- The case reflects heightened immigration scrutiny under the Trump administration and has intensified concerns within the global scientific community about restrictions on academic freedoms.