The Australian Government has charged an American peace activist who was removed from Australia yesterday $11,000 for sending him back to the US.

Activist Scott Parkin was arrested in Melbourne on Saturday after intelligence agency ASIO deemed him a risk to national security.

The 36-year-old says he conducted peace workshops and anti-war protests during the three months he spent in Australia.

He has been charged for the cost of his detention, the flight back to the US for himself and two Australian Government escorts and their accommodation in Los Angeles.

But Mr Parkin has told the ABC from Los Angeles that none of his actions posed a security risk.

"I'm just completely baffled by this," he said.

"I've given talks about the US anti-war movement and I've given talks about Halliburton and I've given talks about non-violent social change, you know peaceful ways of doing this like [Martin Luther] King and Ghandi, but I've never done anything which they're trying to allude to."

Mr Parkin says his legal team in Australia will seek compensation over his removal.

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