Hasan Piker, among the most influential voices in progressive politics, said over the weekend that he was detained and questioned by immigration officials at Chicago's O'Hare airport.Newsweek reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for comment via email on Monday.The ContextPiker's detention came amid the Trump administration's harsh crackdown on immigration and border security, which has included detaining and questioning American citizens, permanent residents and those who are otherwise legally permitted to be in the U.S.The administration has also targeted people across the country who have spoken out against Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including international students and foreign nationals that the government has tried to deport, citing national security concerns.What To KnowPiker, who hosts popular streaming shows on Twitch and YouTube, detailed his detention on Monday, saying CBP officials questioned him in Chicago about his views on President Donald Trump, the U.S.-Israel relationship, Hamas and a slew of other political issues."They straight up tried to get something out of me that I think they could use to basically detain me permanently," Piker said on his livestream, a video of which was posted on YouTube.He added that the agent who questioned him "kept saying stuff like, 'Do you like Hamas? Do you support Hamas? Do you think Hamas is a terror group or a resistance group?'"The progressive streamer has long criticized the Israeli government over its military action in the Gaza Strip since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, accusing Israel of carrying out a "genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza.Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of Homeland Security, confirmed that Piker was held for questioning, saying in a statement 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."Piker first announced his detention in an X post on Sunday, writing: "[I] got stopped by cbp at global entry for additional questioning. i'm out it wasn't that bad. very strange experience overall though."Piker said on his livestream that he was "instantly" told to "step aside" for additional questioning while going through a Global Entry checkpoint after flying into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport from France."'Here we f****** go,'" Piker recounted thinking, adding that he immediately texted his family members and manager when he was on his way in for more questioning.The progressive streamer, who is a U.S. citizen and passport holder, said he was eventually taken to a separate room for questioning, adding that the experience was "an insane f****** situation.""It's very obvious that they knew exactly who the f*** I was, it's very obvious that they knew exactly how to navigate the conversation," Piker said. He went on to say he believes the agent who questioned him was "very cordial" because "they wanted me to say something that was incriminating and say something that was enough to justify further detention from that point on.""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," Piker said.The left-wing influencer said that the agent asked him what he does for a living, what topics he discusses on his livestreams, what he thinks about "the war" and whether he discusses Trump.Piker said the stream of questions prompted him to respond, "Why are you asking me this? What does this have to do with anything?""None of these questions are actually valid questions to ask," Piker said to his livestream audience. "But I was entertaining it because ... I didn't want to present it as being difficult because I didn't want to extend the detention, and two, I actually wanted to see how far I could take it."He said that on certain questions, he was "very revealing" about his political views, telling the CBP agent: "I don't like Trump ... I'm not fond of him. 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 went on to say the agent was a "sympathetic" Iraqi-American man and that he believes immigration officials wanted to assess if he had any involvement with groups like Hamas, Hezbollah or the Houthis.When asked how he felt about Hamas, Piker said he "kept repeating the same statement over and over again. I kept saying: 'I'm on the side of civilians. I want the endless bloodshed to end. I am a pacifist. I want wars to end.'"The longtime Twitch personality also acknowledged that as a popular streamer with a big platform, he likely has more privilege than many others."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?" Piker said on his stream. "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," Piker said."Why is this denying me entry into the country of my birth?" he added. "Like, this is my birthright. I'm an American citizen. You can't just stop me at the border and be like, 'What's your opinion on Donald Trump? You're not allowed to enter the nation.'"What People Are SayingAri Cohn, a First Amendment lawyer and free-speech activist, wrote on X: "No U.S. citizen should be detained by law enforcement, at the border or anywhere, because of their protected speech."Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan have said they will continue working to fulfill Trump's pledge to carry out "mass deportations."What Happens NextMultiple civil rights and immigrant rights groups have challenged the detentions in court and are seeking limits on the president's authority to invoke rarely-used wartime powers to deport millions of people.Update 5/12/25 7:34 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and context.