French scientist denied US entry over Trump critique
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A French scientist was recently denied entry to the United States after immigration officers searched his phone at an airport and discovered messages in which he criticized the Trump administration’s research policies.
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Passengers check in for their Continental Airlines flights at George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport Thursday, June 5, 2008, in Houston. (AP)
A French scientist was denied entry to the United States this month after immigration officers searched his phone at an airport and found messages in which he criticized the Trump administration's research policy.
Philippe Baptiste, France’s minister for Higher Education and Research, confirmed the incident in a statement to Agence France-Presse published by Le Monde, expressing concern over the situation.
Face aux menaces qui pèsent sur la recherche libre aux Etats-Unis, j'ai pris l'initiative, au nom de la France, de mobiliser mes homologues européens. Ensemble, nous devons affirmer nos valeurs et construire une réponse commune pour préserver la liberté académique. Ensemble, nous… pic.twitter.com/ButhKsHreg
— Philippe Baptiste (@PhBaptiste) March 19, 2025
He said, “I learned with concern that a French researcher on assignment for the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) who was traveling to a conference near Houston was denied entry to the United States before being expelled.”
The minister added that the expulsion stemmed from messages the researcher had exchanged with colleagues and friends, expressing his personal opinion about the Trump administration’s research policy. Baptiste emphasized the importance of academic freedom, stating, “Freedom of opinion, free research, and academic freedom are values that we will continue to proudly uphold. I will defend the right of all French researchers to be faithful to them, while respecting the law.”
A diplomatic source told AFP that the incident occurred on March 9. Another source said that US authorities accused the researcher of “hateful and conspiratorial messages,” and although he was informed of an FBI investigation, the charges were eventually dropped before his expulsion.
Baptiste, who has criticized the Trump administration and Elon Musk for cuts to scientific research funding, also used the occasion to advocate for France as a destination for researchers.
On the same day, he published a letter encouraging American researchers to consider relocating to France, writing, “Many well-known researchers are already questioning their future in the United States. We would naturally wish to welcome a certain number of them.”
He followed up with a photo of himself in a virtual meeting with a researcher from the University of Maryland who had accepted an invitation from Aix-Marseille University.
J'ai entendu Elon Musk dire qu'il fallait arrêter la station spatiale internationale en 2027.
— Philippe Baptiste (@PhBaptiste) March 12, 2025
De qui parle-t-on ? Du patron de Space X ? Du chef de l'administration publique américaine ? Tout ça n'a aucun sens.@franceinfo pic.twitter.com/4vFHZBBm6g
On March 12, Baptiste shared a video on X, lamenting the cuts to research in the United States, particularly in areas such as health, climate, energy, and AI. In the same interview, he also criticized Elon Musk’s proposal to shut down the International Space Station by 2027, saying, “Who are we talking about? The boss of SpaceX? The head of the American public administration? None of this makes any sense.”
While the specific conference the French researcher intended to attend remains unclear, the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference was held near Houston from March 10 to 14.
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Europe rushes to welcome US scientists fleeing trump crackdown: FT
European and international research institutions are in a race to recruit US-based scientists unsettled by the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on research agencies, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
Cambridge University is among several top institutions aiming to attract experts in fields such as biomedicine and artificial intelligence, as Washington enforces significant funding cuts and suppresses certain areas of study.
Academics and institutional leaders from multiple European countries confirmed they had been approached by US researchers of varying seniority inquiring about potential opportunities abroad.
Deborah Prentice, vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, said, as quoted by the Financial Times, that the institution had "certainly begun organizing" efforts to secure talent, citing potential funding boosts for departments interested in recruiting researchers from the US.
On his part, Joanne Padron Carney, chief government relations officer at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, noted that nations like China and France were “gleefully” working to attract US researchers to their universities, laboratories, and industries.
“There are other countries that are recognising this is an opportunity they could use in their favour,” Carney stated.
Europe offers safe haven for US scientists amid research crackdown
Maria Leptin, president of the European Research Council, highlighted the growing anxiety among US researchers, explaining that the current political environment is “discouraging for independent investigator-driven research.” She emphasized that European research institutions were prepared to offer a refuge.
“What we can do is to make clear to our US-based colleagues that the European research community and its funders offer a welcome in Europe to those, regardless of nationality, who find their options for independent scientific work threatened,” Leptin stated.
Similarly, Sten Linnarsson, a dean at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute for Biomedical Research, said, as quoted by the Financial Times, that the organization was considering announcing job openings earlier and exploring ways to assist US researchers in need of a "bolt-hole".
Meanwhile, Global Times, a Chinese state-run newspaper, reported that the turbulence in US science has created an opportunity to attract researchers with ties to China.
The potential shift of scientific talent across the Atlantic was “on the radar” of top UK research institutions, according to Cambridge’s Prentice.
“Obviously it’s front of mind for me because many of my friends and former colleagues from the US are writing saying, ‘how do you get to Britain?’” said Prentice, a psychologist and former provost of Princeton University.
“For Cambridge,” she added, “it’s really about trying to make resources available for departments and units that have an opportunity to hire.”
In France, Minister for Higher Education and Research Philippe Baptiste has reached out to leading research institutions, urging them to submit proposals for priority areas where US-based scientific talent could be recruited.
“Many well-known researchers are already questioning their future in the US,” Baptiste wrote. “We would naturally wish to welcome a certain number of them.”
Additionally, Aix-Marseille University in southern France has introduced a program designed for US-based scientists who feel “threatened and hindered,” particularly due to funding cuts in fields such as climate change.
Read next: French research groups urged to welcome scientists fleeing Trump cuts
