A renowned French historian who was on his way to a conference at a university in Texas was held for 10 hours and nearly deported when he arrived at Houston airport.

"I have been detained 10 hours at Houston International Airport about to be deported. The officer who arrested me was 'inexperienced'," Henry Rousso, who was written extensively about World War II France, tweeted.

Officials from Texas A&M University said Mr Rousso, an Egyptian-born Jewish scholar, had nearly been sent back to Paris as an illegal alien due to a “misunderstanding” over his visa when he arrived in the United States earlier this week.