Photo: Getty Images
A Florida woman who makes anti-Trump TikTok videos and apparel said she was detained by ICE at a Miami airport.
In a video, Savanna Pinder, who goes by @eyesofsav on social media, detailed her encounter with federal authorities at the Miami International Airport on April 26 as she was returning from a month-long trip to Spain.
Pinder, a U.S. citizen, said she passed through the Global Entry Line and received the standard green checkmark before being directed to the side by an officer and questioned about her travel and work. The TikToker identified herself as a content creator and was taken through a series of screenings by multiple officers, who allegedly took her phone and passport and asked detailed questions about her future travel plans.
"I was taken to around five different officers. Every single one of them told me they could not tell me the reason why I was being detained. I was treated like a literal animal," she said.
As she moved through several rooms, Pinder said she was repeatedly questioned about her travel history, work, and the citizenship status of her father, who immigrated to the U.S. from Panama.
Authorities also requested access to Pinder's social media accounts. Pinder frequently shares political content and runs a nonprofit clothing brand that sells anti-Trump clothing and merchandise.
"They asked me to provide my social media accounts for them to go through my TikTok, my Snapchat, my Instagram, and my Facebook, as well as show them how much I was making daily on TikTok," Pinder said, noting the experience was "extremely scary."
Pinder's encounter with ICE comes amid the Trump administration's efforts to deport migrants without legal status. Federal officials have maintained that the government is targeting serious criminals, but concerns have been raised over due process and racial profiling as dozens of U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, and legal permanent residents have been detained.
"If you are a United States citizen, you still have the chance of being detained coming back into the United States right now. It is crazy times we're living in," Pinder said in a TikTok video. "And I just want to spread awareness that this is happening; it is real."
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