Device searches hit record high at US border

Searches of electronic devices by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have hit a record high, data released by the agency shows. Between April and June, searches at the U.S. border of devices such as cell phones and laptops rose by nearly 17% over the previous high for a three-month period. 

Officers searched 14,899 devices during the quarter — a significant increase over the 12,766 devices examined between January and March 2022.

What the agency calls “basic” searches were performed on 13,824 devices. That often involves a manual search of a device by a CBP officer. 

The agency labeled the remaining 1,075 searches as “advanced,” meaning that a digital forensics tool was connected to the device to extract information.

Although the total number of device searches has increased, advanced searches have more or less stayed the same over the past 21 months, WIRED reported.

Citizens don’t have to consent

While U.S. citizens cannot be denied entry to the country for refusing a device search, their electronic items can be temporarily seized. However, a foreign visitor who refuses a search can be detained or deported. They may also face consequences based on the content on their devices. In March, for example, a French scientist was denied entry to the country after border officials located messages on his phone that criticized President Donald Trump’s funding cuts for science.

The increase in device searches at the border comes amid Trump’s increased focus on immigration policy. Last month, Congress appropriated $165 billion to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, for border security and immigration enforcement.

U.S. immigration policies appear to be linked to a downturn in visitors from countries such as Canada. June was the sixth consecutive month to see a decrease in Canadian visitors to the U.S., Forbes reported.

CBP: Searches are essential

On its website, CBP says device searches are essential for identifying and combating “terrorist activity, child pornography, drug smuggling, human smuggling, bulk cash smuggling, human trafficking, export control violations, intellectual property rights violations and visa fraud, among other violations.”

However, Esha Bhandari, a deputy director at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, told Wired that aggressive device searches can have a “chilling effect” on travelers.

“This is essentially a limitless authority that they claim for themselves to search travelers without a warrant to search the full scope of information people carry on them,” Bhandari said.