Popular Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, known for his outspoken progressive views, was detained and questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after returning from Paris on Sunday.

Piker, a U.S. citizen with over six million followers across social platforms, claims the hours-long interrogation focused on his criticism of President Donald Trump and his pro-Palestinian views, accusing the government of trying to silence dissent.

"It was an insane situation," Piker said on a Monday livestream. "It’s very obvious that they knew exactly who I was. It’s very obvious that they knew how to navigate the conversation and it was a really interesting conversation that took place. It was very cordial… I thought it was strange how cordial it was."

Piker, who streams under the name HasanAbi, recounted being pulled aside at a Global Entry checkpoint, a program for expedited clearance of preapproved travelers.

"Here we f****** go,” he recalled thinking as he texted his family and manager while he was escorted to a separate room.

The agents, he said, probed him on his views on Trump, the U.S.-Israel relationship, Hamas, Houthi rebels, and his past Twitch bans.

"They straight-up tried to get something out of me that I think they could use to basically detain me permanently," Piker told viewers.

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The agent, he noted, repeatedly asked, "Do you like Hamas? Do you support Hamas? Do you think Hamas is a terror group or a resistance group?"

Piker said he responded, "I’m on the side of civilians. I want the endless bloodshed to end. I am a pacifist. I want wars to end."

Piker maintains that the questions were inappropriate.

"Everything I’ve done is fully protected under the First Amendment, OK, and none of these questions are actually valid questions to ask," he said. "Why are you asking me this? What does this have to do with anything? … Why is this denying me entry into the country of my birth? Like, this is my birthright. I’m an American citizen."

He admitted to engaging with the agent, described as a "sympathetic" Iraqi-American, to test the limits of the interrogation.

"I saw no reason to hold back on certain things. So, I said I don’t like Trump. What are you going to do? It’s protected by the First Amendment. I don’t like Trump," Piker said. "I don’t like him. He said he was going to end the war. He hasn’t ended the wars. What the f— is up with that?"

Piker alleges the detention was a deliberate attempt to intimidate Trump critics.

"And let me tell you: they certainly did do that... he was basically, like, broaching the conversation in a way where it was, like, free-flowing, where in the process of discovery, he was adding on additional talking points," he said. "And for me, I’m going to use the privilege that I have in that moment to try, and see what they’re doing, okay? Because every single thing that they asked me – trying to get me to say something like, ‘Oh, I support Hamas,’ or whatever – is literally not allowed."

CBP and Homeland Security officials denied any political motive.

"This is nothing but lying for likes," said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of Homeland Security, in a statement. "Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless. Our officers are following the law, not agendas."

McLaughlin described the inspection as a "routine, lawful process that occurs daily" and said Piker was "promptly released" after its completion.

Piker dismissed the explanation, questioning why his political views were probed if the process was routine.

He accused the Trump administration of fostering "an environment of fear" to "prosecute speech" despite First Amendment protections.

The incident follows a pattern of detentions targeting critics of U.S. policy on Israel’s war in Gaza, including student protesters Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk, who were held by immigration officials after expressing pro-Palestinian views.

The White House has defended such actions as part of a crackdown on what it calls anti-Semitism on college campuses, while critics, including Piker, argue that it’s an assault on free speech.

Ari Cohn, a First Amendment lawyer, posted on X: "No U.S. citizen should be detained by law enforcement, at the border or anywhere, because of their protected speech."

The Trump administration’s border policies, led by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan, remain contentious, with ongoing legal challenges from civil rights groups seeking to curb the use of wartime powers for mass deportations.

Piker’s detention adds fuel to the debate over whether the government is weaponizing immigration enforcement to suppress dissent.