Independent journalist Ethan Levins says the Department of Homeland Security detained him for three hours at the airport after he flew back from Lebanon, questioning him almost entirely about a social media post criticising an Israeli minister.
Levins posted his account on X on 21 August 2026, saying agents pulled him aside the moment he handed over his passport. He said the interrogation touched on nothing about domestic American politics, focusing instead on comments he had made about Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
