A streamer has warned Americans after he was detained at a US airport following questioning over President Donald Trump.
Hasan Piker, who is a political streamer that goes by the username HasanAbi, claimed that he was stopped by ICE agents while traveling through O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Sunday (May 11).
In a livestream, the content creator recalled how he was taken to a ‘detention center’ in a back room of the airport where he was quizzed about his job, what he covers on his platforms and whether he talks about President Trump.
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Piker said the interview lasted two hours before he asked if he was free to go, adding that he told the agents, ‘I don’t like Trump. What are you going to do? It’s protected by the First Amendment. I don’t like Trump’.
Piker went on to say on his stream: “Nothing I’ve done online is illegal as of now. Now laws may change in the future and they might actually start prosecuting speech, which I do fear is the goal of this administration. But so far, everything I’ve done is fully protected under the First Amendment.”
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Many viewers of the stream were shocked by the incident, with many taking to social media themselves to share their own thoughts on the matter.
On X, formerly Twitter, one user wrote: “I’m really glad Hasan was released, his detention was outrageous. Just a note, though: DO NOT do what he did if you are interrogated. DO NOT answer their questions. Having a long conversation with them like this is very dangerous.”
This prompted a response from Piker who quote tweeted the post.
He warned: “This is correct. I have immense privilege & was willing to put myself at risk to investigate what their line of inquiry would look like after seeing all the reports about immigration lawyers & other Americans getting detained for further questioning at the border.”
Taking to the YouTube comment section of his livestream, one viewer commented: “100% do not talk without a lawyer, because incrimination can occur to anyone. Period. Don’t ever do what Piker just did. You’re not going to be smarter than them; you’re not going to speed the process; they’re not going to care if you’re a good person.”
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And another added: “Chat was 1000% right. I’m an attorney. You don’t have to do anything illegal to be charged. You don’t have to do anything illegal to be convicted. You should not have spoken to them without a lawyer. This may not be your last run-in with them, don’t make the same mistake twice.”