Popular Turkish American online political commentator detained,
questioned at Chicago airport
[May 14, 2025]
By SOPHIA TAREEN
CHICAGO (AP) — A popular Turkish American online streamer who is
critical of President Donald Trump was recently detained and questioned
at O’Hare International Airport after his flight from Paris landed in
Chicago.
Hasan Piker, who has 2.8 million followers on Twitch, recounted his
experience online Monday saying he was questioned for hours a day
earlier despite being born in the U.S. and enrolled in Global Entry, a
federal program allowing low-risk passengers to travel through customs
and passport control quickly.
Piker believes he was targeted because of his views and said Customs and
Border Protection officers asked his opinion of Trump and Hamas, among
other topics. The liberal political commentator is frequently critical
of Israel and the war in Gaza.
“The goal here is to put fear into people’s hearts, to have a chilling
effect on speech,” Piker recounted in a detailed nearly 40-minute long
account on his YouTube channel. “The government is now officially
willing and able to intimidate you for your speech. That is a direct
violation of the First Amendment.”
Piker did not have comment Tuesday beyond his Twitch stream a day
earlier, according to a spokesman. The hours-long broadcast on the live
streaming platform included the same account posted on YouTube along
with Piker's commentary on other topics and his speaking engagement at
the University of Chicago.
Federal officials dismissed Piker’s account of the detention on Tuesday,
calling the questioning “routine and lawful” and something that can
apply to any traveler.
“This is nothing but lying for likes. Claims that his political beliefs
triggered the inspection are baseless,” Tricia McLaughlin, U.S.
Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, said in a
statement. “Once his inspection was complete, he was promptly released.”
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An undated photo provided by Mauricio Miranda shows Turkish American
online streamer Hasan Piker who was detained and questioned at
O'Hare International Airport in May 2025 after his flight from Paris
landed in Chicago. (Mauricio Miranda via AP)
The Trump administration's aggressive crackdown on immigration and
student protests have also increased worries among U.S. citizens and
lawful permanent residents navigating the last steps to citizenship.
Recent immigration arrests have mistakenly swept up U.S. citizens in
Illinois,Florida and other places.
Trump has deemed the pro-Palestinian campus protests as
“anti-American” while critics say student arrests are part of an
unprecedented attack on the freedom of speech. Last month a
Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a
student was arrested during what he thought was an interview about
his citizenship.
Federal officials declined to give further details about Piker's
detention, including what prompted the extensive questioning.
Piker, also known as HasanAbi on Twitch, was born in New Jersey. The
33-year-old was raised in Turkey. He lives in Los Angeles.
“I’m not intimidated," he said on YouTube, where he has 1.6 million
subscribers. “I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.”
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