U.S. border agents are searching travellers’ smartphones and other electronic devices at a record rate, new data suggests, amid a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration.
The latest figures released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show there were 14,899 devices searched between April and June this year. That’s a 21-per cent jump from the previous quarter, and nearly 17 per cent higher than the previous highest quarterly number of 12,766 devices searched between January and March 2022.
“It’s disheartening,” James Hayes, a Vancouver-based immigration lawyer, told Global News in an interview upon learning of the uptick.
U.S. officials have broad legal authority to search electronic devices of people entering the country, regardless of citizenship, and CBP historical data shows those searches have been steadily rising over the past decade. The data does not break down those searches by type of electronic device, a term that includes smartphones, laptops, tablets and cameras.
CBP says less than 0.01 per cent of all travellers entering the U.S. are subjected to an electronic device search, and even fewer of those are seized for further inspection. In the last fiscal year, just over 47,000 devices were searched out of more than 420 million travellers processed at U.S. borders, according to CBP data.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office this year, however, there has been an increased focus on vetting the digital backgrounds of people entering the country.
The U.S. State Department said in June it would require all international student visa applicants to allow their social media to be reviewed for content deemed hostile to U.S. interests, and could reject anyone who doesn’t make their accounts public.
Earlier this year, the Canadian government updated its travel advice for people entering the U.S., warning travellers to “expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices.”
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A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied the uptick in searches has anything to do with any directions from the Trump administration.
“Claims that CBP is searching more electronic media due to the administration change are false,” the spokesperson said in an email to Global News. “Allegations that political beliefs trigger inspections or removals are baseless and irresponsible.
Click here to read the complete original article by Sean Boynton  for Global News
Source: Global News
