We Want to Look at Your Phone

The government has long invoked its authority to search traveler’s devices—whether owned by noncitizens or citizens—at the U.S. border. Under the second Trump administration, this practice only seems to be growing more aggressive and targeted. Host Cristian Farias speaks with the Institute’s Scott Wilkens, about the legal regime surrounding border searches, and with Amir Makled, an attorney whose smartphone was targeted for search by border agents following his legal representation of a pro-Palestine protester. They discuss how the omnipresence of digital devices and the presence of Ports of Entry at airports throughout the country have vastly expanded opportunities for the government to search and surveil travelers.

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