A warning from the Canadian government to its citizens traveling to the United States has been raised higher. Few Americans know that US border officials have unlimited discretionary power to search electronic devices. This advisory draws attention to the dangers, warning travelers to “prepare for scrutiny” when traveling across the border.
The Canadian government has now issued a new travel advisory on its website, urging. It declares that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have the authority to search travelers’ electronic devices—including phones, laptops, and tablets—without having to give any justification whatsoever. These searches can occur at any land border and airport — a reality that has caused significant alarm among anyone trying to come here on a temporary basis.
The advisory describes the potential risks of resisting US border officials’ demands. For non-US citizens, travelers risk device seizure, travel delays, or even denial of entry. The impact of these invasions of privacy is serious. They affect the freedom to travel and our individual privacy.
US authorities argue that these device searches are absolutely necessary to protect national security. Civil liberties groups have long condemned the practice as invasive and unconstitutional. Their lawsuit contends that the expansive search authority given to border officials encourages arbitrary and invasive searches, violates Americans’ constitutional rights, and deters border-crossers.
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese assistant professor and physician at Brown University, has emerged as a fresh voice for public discourse. Her case is receiving an extraordinary amount of attention. Her deleted images on cellphone found by US agents on sweeping Boston Logan International Airport inspections. As a direct result, she was deported to Lebanon. Those specific images were of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This unfortunate incident highlights what people crossing the border can be subjected to.
