U.S. Customs and Border Protection searched 14,899 electronic devices of international travelers between April and June, a 17% increase over the previous record set in early 2022. Most searches were 'basic,' where agents request device passwords and manually inspect contents without specialized equipment. U.S. citizens cannot be denied entry for refusing a search, but their devices may be seized indefinitely for refusal. Noncitizen visitors who decline searches can be denied entry. Judicial opinions on the constitutionality of border device searches are divided, and the Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue.
U.S. border agents searched more electronic devices during a three-month period than ever before, according to new government statistics. The data shows that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency tasked with immigration screening at the U.S. border, searched 14,899 devices of international travelers between April through June, a 17% rise on the previous record high recorded in early 2022.
Most of these searches are "basic," where U.S. border agents demand the password to the traveler's device and look through its contents without using equipment. While citizens cannot be denied entry to the U.S., their devices can be seized indefinitely for refusing a device search. Visitors can decline, but they'd face rejection from the country. The constitutionality of border searches remains a hotly debated topic, with split judicial opinions across the country, but an issue that the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to consider.
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