'It felt different': US citizens arriving in Miami report tense encounters with Customs

MIAMI — In January, a man returning to the United States from Nicaragua landed at Miami International Airport, made it through customs and waited for his luggage at baggage claim. By the time he left the airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had revoked his Global Entry status.

In April, a social-media travel-content creator was also detained at MIA for hours as officers looked through her social media accounts and asked about her father’s immigration status.

And just weeks ago, a Miami intensive-care nurse who travels to and from Cuba often said he was stopped by Customs to have his bags checked — along with everyone else on his flight.

What they all have in common: They’re American citizens, and their recent experiences with Customs at South Florida airports have left them perplexed and concerned.

While it’s not new or illegal for Customs officers to detain and question U.S. citizens when they re-enter the country, there appears to be a surge in reports of citizens being detained at airports and asked to give officers access to their phones and social media accounts under President Donald Trump’s second administration, stoking fears among travelers.

“I think it’s because of Trump,” said Jorge López Gutiérrez, the Miami ICU nurse. Gutiérrez, 41, who immigrated from Cuba in 2010, travels to Cuba often to visit his wife. He’s been stopped by Customs a couple of times before and quickly let go, he said, but the treatment during his recent returns from Cuba struck him as odd.

After he disembarked a May 7 flight, Gutiérrez said, Customs searched all passengers’ bags before allowing them to leave the airport. “It was white, Black, Latinos, everyone. They don’t care if you’re a citizen or a non-citizen,” he said. A similar incident happened on May 12. Gutiérrez said other passengers, though not him, on his flight had to turn over their phones and were questioned about cash they had.

The Trump administration maintains that Customs is just doing its job. American citizens cannot be denied entry into the U.S., but travelers from other countries can be. Customs said in a statement to the Miami Herald that less than 0.01% of travelers have their devices searched and it is not true that it is searching more electronic media due to the new Trump administration.

U.S. citizens who say they may have been targeted or questioned because of their occupations or political views have made national headlines, like Amir Makled, a Michigan-based immigration attorney who represents a pro-Palestinian student protester. Makled was detained at the Detroit Metro Airport and asked to hand over his phone. Hasan Piker, a popular left-wing online streamer, said he was detained for hours at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago as agents asked him about his opinions on Trump, Gaza and other political topics.

“We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly,” a CBP spokesperson said in a statement. “Allegations that political beliefs trigger inspections or removals are baseless and irresponsible,”

‘Following the law, not agendas’

Sav, a young woman from Fort Lauderdale, usually posts light-hearted vlogs about her travels on her TikTok account. But recently, her videos detailing her tense, hours-long encounter with Customs at MIA went viral.

Sav, who spoke to the Miami New Times in an interview and asked the publication not to publish her full name, landed at MIA on April 26 from a trip in Europe and went through Global Entry. In her original video about the incident, which has over 2 million views on the platform, Sav says officers prevented her from continuing through the airport, searched through her social media accounts and asked for proof of her income and information about her father’s immigration status. An officer asked if she had any future travel plans outside of the U.S. When she answered no, he “screamed in my face a good four times repeating the same exact question,” Sav said on TikTok.

While she doesn’t know for sure why she was stopped, Sav told New Times she guessed it may have something to do with her brand Trump For The Dump, which sells anti-Trump merchandise like sweaters and hats. Sav noted that CBP never asked her about the brand. The Herald reached Sav over email but she did not agree to an interview.

On May 12, the Department of Homeland Security responded to a post that shared one of Sav’s TikTok videos. “FALSE: Claims that her political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless. Our officers are following the law, not agendas,” DHS posted on its X account.

Amien Kacou, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida, said it’s likely too early in the current administration to know if there is or will be a significant increase in the number of citizens being detained at re-entry. Regardless, fear among travelers is palpable as stories of detained citizens circulate online.

“Right now, the best explanation that comes to mind as to why this is in the zeitgeist is because some entrants, including immigrants but also citizens, have been targeted seemingly because of their free speech,” Kacou said. “And so it’s very logical that people should be anxious at this time, that they might be targeted for their free speech.”

Global Entry revoked

For some travelers, stories circulating online are cautionary tales about what may happen when returning from overseas. Some U.S. citizens, including lawyers, have started carrying burner phones or deleting social media off their phones when they come home from abroad.

“I feel concerned, as every attorney should be,” Kacou said. “Especially attorneys who sue the federal government and sue the Department of Homeland Security.”

It’s important to remember that travelers can be questioned or detained at any point in the airport, even beyond Customs, said Peter Quinter, a former U.S. Customs attorney and South Florida based lawyer that leads the U.S. Customs and International Trade Law Group at the Gunster law firm in South Florida.

“Even though you pass through Customs, through Global Entry, you’re still subject to examination,” Quinter said. Global Entry is a Customs program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved travelers who are considered low risk.

Jose G., a 37-year-old barber and hairstylist who lives in North Carolina, told the Herald he flew back to the United States from Nicaragua with his brother in January after visiting his mother. Jose, who asked not to have his full last name published out of fear of retaliation from the government, travels often and qualified for Global Entry a few months prior. His arrival at MIA was going smoothly, Jose said, until he got to baggage claim.

Customs officers were “everywhere, which I’ve never seen before in my life,” he said. He said he noticed officers stopping random people and asking for their papers. He chuckled to himself and muttered, “This is ridiculous.” An officer noticed.

As soon as he got his bags, Jose said, officers stopped him and asked for his documents. Jose was under the impression that he wouldn’t need to provide identification at baggage claim since he’s a U.S. citizen who had cleared customs.

“I’m heavily tattooed, I’ve got piercings. I stick out like a sore thumb. But on the flip side, I had already gone through the process. Why are you asking me for this stuff if I’ve already gone through the process?” Jose told the Herald. “So when they asked me for my stuff, I said, ‘I don’t need to show you because I already went through Global Entry. I don’t feel comfortable showing you. Why do you need my papers?’”

Jose and the officers went back and forth for a few minutes. Eventually, the officers told Jose that he was being detained and his Global Entry was revoked. Officers took him to a small room where they started going through his luggage.

After about 30 minutes, Jose was let go. A couple days later, he received an email from Customs confirming his Global Entry had been revoked.

Jose said he is concerned about what may happen the next time he travels to Nicaragua. He said his experience felt less like national security and more like intimidation, especially as “a brown man with tattoos.”

“I hope no retaliation comes of it, but I think that it’s important for people to know and be aware of what’s happening,” he said. “I’ve traveled internationally so many times. That was different. It felt different.”