‘The United States of–‘: Southern white Christian is detained by DHS after trip to Lebanon. 3 hours later, most questions weren’t about America

Independent journalist Ethan Levins recently took to Instagram and TikTok to share that he has been detained at immigration upon returning to the United States from a trip to Lebanon. The incident, which Levins says lasted for three hours, centered almost entirely on his views regarding Israel and a specific social media post he made about an Israeli minister. The ensuing post got over 3.5 views.

Levins documented the ordeal in his post, claiming, “I was detained and questioned by the Department of Homeland Security yesterday for three hours about Israel.” He described the process as immediate upon his arrival, noting, “I returned yesterday from my trip to Lebanon, and through the passport line, they immediately took my passport, put it in a red folder, and said, ‘The DHS has to speak with you.’”