French left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused the US border control agency of becoming “a political police” following detention of an American left-wing Twitch streamer.
Mélenchon’s comments followed claims from the US streamer Hasan Piker that he was detained by US border agents and questioned about his political views and Donald Trump upon his return to the US from Paris.
Known online as HasanAbi, while in Paris Piker met with Mélenchon, whom he interviewed live on his Twitch channel.
With 2.8 million Twitch followers and a further 1.6 million on YouTube and 1.2 million on TikTok, Piker is among the most well-known left-wing voices in the United States.
“After our meeting on Twitch, Hasan returned to the USA. He was blocked at his country’s border and interrogated for several hours by the police about his activities, his interviews, his views,” Mélenchon said May 13.
“The border control, turned into political police for the occasion, is enforcing a new rule: American citizens are not granted their rights until they have crossed the border”, he added.
“And when the Pope goes to the USA, will this be the case?” he said, referring new Pope Leo XIV’s critical views of the US and the current Trump administration.
Mélenchon had deepened his ties with the US left-wing movement after a tour of North America in April 2024.
During his time in Québec, the French politician voiced support for Canadian independence from the US, denouncing what he described as threats from “Gringo” US President Trump.
In a live stream on Twitch, following his return from Paris, Piker argued US authorities wanted “to create an environment of fear, that try to get people like myself or others that would be in my shoes that don’t have the same level of security to shut the f*ck up”.
Hasan called the experience “very strange”.
US Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to Hasan’s claims, accusing him of “lying for likes.”
“Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless,” she said.
She then stated US border control agents were simply abiding by the law.
“Our CBP officers are following the law, not agendas. Upon entering the country, this individual was referred for further inspection — a routine, lawful process that occurs daily, and can apply for any traveller. Once his inspection was complete, he was promptly released,” she said May 13.
