Customs and Border Protection has searched a record number of phones at the U.S. border over the past year
The recent spike in searches at the border has been mostly driven by an increase in the past six months. Between April and June, CBP searched 14,899 devices, which at the time represented a record number for any quarter of the year. However, the latest numbers show that this increase is continuing: Between July and September, 16,173 phones were searched, according to newly published CBP numbers.
Over the past decade, there has been an uptick in the number of phone and electronics searches conducted at the border — with increases occurring across multiple political administrations. Statistics published by CBP show there were 8,503 searches 2015. Since 2018, the number of annual searches has increased It rose from about 30,000 To more than 55,000 this year. The new numbers mark the first time searches have exceeded 50,000.
CBP spokeswoman Rhonda Lawson says its latest search numbers are “consistent with increases since 2021, and less than 0.01 percent” of travelers have searched for their devices. Lawson says searches can be conducted to “detect digital contraband, terrorism-related content, and information relevant to visitor admissions.”
“It may be helpful for travelers to know when they are considering the decision of what device to bring with them when traveling to the United States that electronic personal device searches are not new, search policy and procedures have not changed, and the likelihood of searches has not increased and remains extremely rare,” Lawson says.
Of the 55,000 device searches conducted over the past 12 months, the vast majority (51,061) were basic searches, with a total of 4,363 advanced device searches – a 3 percent increase from FY2024.
Federal courts remain divided on whether advanced phone searches require warrants. The answer can change with the airport. The Eleventh and Eighth Circuits allow phone searches without suspicion, while the Fourth and Ninth Circuits require reasonable suspicion in advanced criminal searches. Recent decisions issued by the District Court in New York go further, requiring probable cause.
Several incidents involving tourists, including A French scientist His mobile phone, which was searched to see if he had criticized Trump, showed how easily intense scrutiny could descend into an international controversy. In June, 21 years old Norwegian tourist He was reportedly denied entry to Newark Liberty International Airport because his phone contained a now-famous meme mocking Vice President J.D. Vance — a small act of humor that was allegedly treated as grounds for expulsion.
CBP disputes many of these accounts, but the impression abroad is clear: The United States has increasingly become a more difficult — if not more hostile — place to visit.