James Dyer, a journalist for Empire Magazine, was passing through customs at LAX when he was questioned whether he was part of the 'fake news media'

A British journalist claims a Customs and Border Patrol agent at LAX questioned whether he was part of the 'fake news' media.

James Dyer, who works for Empire Magazine, took to Twitter on Thursday to describe his 'chilling' encounter with the immigration official while passing through customs.

'Wow. Just...wow. Just went through LAX immigration. Presented my journalist visa and was stopped by the CBP agent and accused of being part of the 'fake news media,' he tweeted.

The journalist said the unidentified official at Los Angeles International Airport questioned whether he worked for CNN or MSNBC or other outlets that are 'spreading lies to the American people'.

'He aggressively told me that journalists are liars and are attacking their democracy.'

Mr Dyer described his experience as a 'chilling' sign of the 'malignant affect [sic] this presidency has had on what was once a beacon of democracy and freedom'.

'Apparently the only truth now comes from YouTube and the president. All this said under a CBP sign that says "we are the face of our nation". And with a framed picture of 45 staring down. In f*****g California. Welcome to Trump's America!'

President Donald Trump is notorious for his use of the word 'fake news' in relation to mainstream news reports

The journalist took to Twitter to describe his encounter with the official at a customs desk in Los Angeles International Airport. His tweet went viral and has been shared thousands of times

Mr Dyer said the agent stopped his line of questioning after he said he was coming to the US to write about the latest Star Wars movie and would 'keep the fake news about that to a bare minimum'.

In a statement a US Customs and Border Protection spokesman said it was aware of Mr Dyer's experience as he passed through LAX and advised him to file a formal complaint.

'Inappropriate comments or behavior are not tolerated, and do not reflect our values of vigilance, integrity and professionalism. We strongly advise travelers to file a formal complaint so alleged misconduct is properly investigated.'

Mr Dyer said he had not made a complaint as while he had 'moaned about it on Twitter' he was not mistreated.

'No I wasn't mistreated or detained in any way. Questions at customs are to be expected while fingerprinting is going on. It's just the fake news/MSM diatribe that was surprising and inappropriate,' he tweeted.

'So while I despair that an official made these comments and that these troubling views have clearly been so normalized, I didn't take it any further.

Mr Dyer's initial tweet has gone viral after it was retweeted several thousand times.

The journalist said he did not make a complaint as he did not feel mistreated but was rather surprised at the line of questioning the official took

Not all believed his tale, with a number of Twitter users accusing him of creating 'fake news' with his story.

One Twitter user, Matthew Adessa, called the journalist a 'liar'. Another, who tweeted under the handle @WombatSocho said: 'I'll take s**t that didn't happen for $1000'.

Meanwhile, another tweeted: 'Nobody believes this' and @DupeTask said if it did happen, 'it didn't happen like this'.

'The fake news outlets have been ramping up rhetoric that puts these guys and gals in danger.'

The journalist responded to the disbelievers on Twitter: 'Yes it did happen (and calling this fake news in itself is more irony than my jetlagged mind can take).'