- International travelers to the US are advised to remove sensitive content from devices.
- Enhanced vetting policies allow CBP to search electronic devices without a warrant.
- Searches have led to detentions based on digital content, including political views.
International travelers to the US are being cautioned to cleanse their digital devices of sensitive content, including personal photos, as border agents ramp up electronic searches under President Trump's renewed 'enhanced vetting' policies, according to The Metro. These measures, reinstated through executive orders, permit Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to inspect smartphones, laptops, and social media accounts without a warrant.
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As per the news report, although such searches affect only a small fraction of travellers, they have led to detentions and deportations based on digital content, including political views and personal images. Experts advise travellers to minimise stored data, use encrypted cloud services, and disable biometric logins to protect privacy.
According to The Metro report, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have the legal authority to search electronic devices at the border: that's phones, laptops, and tablets. This includes reviewing text messages, social media activity, photos, emails, and even your browser history.
In March, an unnamed French scientist was denied entry to the States after airport immigration officers searched his phone and found messages critical of the Trump administration.
According to The Guardian, recently Amir Makled, a Lebanese-American lawyer representing one of the University of Michigan pro-Palestine campus protesters, was recently stopped at Detroit Metro Airport and interrogated by a tactical terrorism response team agent. Makled has said the agents knew exactly who he was; his phone was searched, and they asked about his contacts. Eventually, he was allowed to go home.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has imposed a ban on citizens from 12 countries, along with entry restrictions on nationals from seven other nations, citing national security and immigration enforcement concerns.
The US President signed the executive order on June 4, nearly five months after taking office for the second term, and it will come into effect on June 9.
The travel ban has been divided into two categories: a complete ban and a partial ban.
Trump has imposed a full entry ban on 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Eritrea, and Somalia.
The complete travel ban means the citizens of the aforementioned countries cannot enter the US at all, irrespective of the reason and purpose.
He said that these countries don't respect US immigration rules. Most countries on the list denied taking their citizens back, and most of the people from here overstayed their visas, he said.
Partial restrictions apply to seven countries: Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Cuba, and Venezuela.
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