France, March 20 -- France has expressed concern after US border agents read the contents of a visiting French space scientist's smartphone and deported him after accusing him of "hateful" messages against US policy.

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, his government has cut federal research funding and sought to dismiss hundreds of federal workers pursuing health and climate research.

"I learned with concern that a French researcher who was heading to a conference near Houston was forbidden from entering US territory before being expelled," Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste told AFP on Wednesday.

"This measure was taken by the US authorities because the researcher's phone contained exchanges with colle...