ALBAWABA - Turkish-American Twitch streamer Hasan Piker (best known as HasanAbi) recently made headlines after claiming that he was detained by Customs and Border Protection officers after landing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. This came after the streamer arrived from his Paris trip on Monday.
The streamer shared his experience on Twitch and later reuploaded the important bits to his YouTube channels. During the segment, HasanAbi was asked about his opinion on US President Donald Trump and if he had connections to "terrorist organizations" such as Palestinian resistance group Hamas and Yemen's Houthis.
Piker expressed his concern during the clip, adding that despite being a full-fledged US citizen, born and raised, he was still detained by CBP and taken to a detention room where other scared individuals and was among other scared travelers.
CBP detains Twitch streamer HasanAbi in Chicago
He described the room as having "fluorescent lightbulbs, the whole nine yards." Additionally, aside from being questioned about Trump and "terrorist organizations," he revealed that he went through two hours of questioning about his job and political affiliation.
HasanAbi told the officer that he streams games occasionally and discusses social/ political issues.
Piker added in the stream, "They knew who I was and they were ready to receive me, let’s just say, and it wasn’t a very warm welcome."
Many social media users took to the internet to question the matter at hand, calling it "scary" and "concerning." The streamer also took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on May 12 with a selfie photo and a caption that read "It happened."
Several of Piker's fans urged the streamer to seek legal action, adding that he should not have spoken to the CBP officer and should have demanded to speak to a lawyer instead.
In response to the issue at hand, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that Piker was held for questioning but refuted claims stating that it wasn't his political views that triggered the inspection, as reported by The Washington Post.
She stated on Monday, "Our 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 traveler. Once his inspection was complete, he was promptly released."
