An American leftist activist who traveled to Iran and declared “death to America” at a state-backed event says she was detained for hours by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) upon her return to the U.S.
Calla Walsh, co-founder of radical pro-Hamas group Unity of Fields, made the claim in a Wednesday X post after videos showed her participating in an event that Iranian media described as a “festival organized by Iran’s U.S.-sanctioned [state] broadcaster.” Walsh said “a Gestapo agent was waiting at the gate” for her at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when she returned.
A Gestapo agent was waiting at the gate for me in JFK as soon as I stepped off…I got detained/questioned by CBP for a few hours, nothing that I didn’t expect. I had no phone for them to seize. Overheard Gestapo sending migrants to ICE concentration camps. Warm welcome home https://t.co/7kFcvVO6Hq
— Calla (@CallaWalsh) July 23, 2025
“I got detained/questioned by CBP for a few hours, nothing that I didn’t expect,” Walsh said. “I had no phone for them to seize.”
Walsh was seen on video on Sunday in Iran declaring “death to America” and “death to Israel” in Persian, drawing applause.
“Glory to all the martyrs. Glory to the Axis of Resistance,” Walsh said in English in her speech, using a common name for the alliance between Iran and terrorist groups it sponsors, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. “May we see victory in our lifetimes.”
Footage showed Walsh covering her hair with headwear, which the Iranian government requires for women under threat of possible prison time or execution.
Walsh did not respond to a request for comment. Unity of Fields, formerly Palestine Action U.S., also did not respond to an inquiry.
“For the safety and security of the American people, all individuals, including U.S. Citizens, are subject to inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon entry into the United States to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the DCNF regarding Walsh’s trip to Iran.
Unity of Fields reportedly supported anti-Israel protests at Columbia University that led to arrests, and the group has a history of explicitly calling for violence against police officers, supporters of Israel and others deemed oppressive. The FBI reportedly launched a probe into Unity of Fields in May 2024 following a vandalism attack on a defense technology firm in New Hampshire, NHJournal reported. Walsh was involved in the incident and was sentenced in local court to 60 days in prison in November.
Walsh also claimed to have been detained by the Trump administration’s CBP in May after returning from “revolutionary Cuba.”
“All of this indicates to me that I am on some sort of domestic terrorism watch list, as a result of my anti-imperialist political activity and my criminal record for taking direct action to resist the amerikan-zionist genocide against Palestine,” she wrote on X at the time.
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