Canada updates travel advice to warn the power of the US border officers to look for electronic devices
The Federal Government has safely updated his online travel tips to remind the Canadians to “expect control” from the border patrol officers if they travel to the United States.
A website with Official advice for travelers Directing to the south was updated with a paragraph on the “significant” discretion agents when it comes to deciding who enters their country, including the power to look for phones and laptops.
“The US authorities rigorously apply the entrance requirements. Wait control in the entrance ports, including electronic devices. Conform and be imminent in all interactions with the border authorities. If you are denied the entrance, you may be detained pending deportation”, the website reads now.
The agents with the United States border patrol have long been the power to ask to seek travelers’ personal effects, but the Canadian government has updated its online guide to include the extra warning of this week-change that arrives when the long-term relationships of the nations break under the pressure of the war on the Trump administration trade.
An immigration lawyer and a privacy lawyer have said that travelers who are worried about their privacy should understand the powers of the border patrol officers and decide how many risks he feel at ease before leaving the house. Two of the experts suggested traveling with a burner phone and leaving real phones at home.
Heather Segal, immigration lawyer and founding partner of Segal Immigration Law in Toronto, told the CBC News on Monday that his mailbox is flooded with questions.
“There has been much more intense security and intense investigations on the border,” he said. “There is only a huge fear, fear for numerous reasons. First of all, there is a fear of being arrested. There is fear of not entering the United States.”
No mandate necessary
Far from the border, law enforcement officials need a search mandate to look through someone’s phone or laptop. But the United States border patrol officers can look through a mobile phone, check the comments made on social media and examine a laptop without a mandate. They can also take devices or download all their content.
“For many people, the phone is a window on the soul. It has your letters to your spouse, it has your calendar that shows all the people you met with. And so for many people, they may want to take precautions to protect this information,” said Adam Schwartz, director of the dispute on privacy at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, based in San Francisco.
US statistics for the protection of customs and borders Show 0.1 percent of people who cross the border with their electronic devices Search in 2024. Sometimes, Schwartz said, the agents will ask for research based on their intestine – which can be through explicit or implicit prejudice, leading to discrimination.
Some Canadians traveling in the United States are nervous to cross the border between stories of people who have difficulty or even being detained. The Ravi Jain immigration lawyer has some advice for travelers on the border between the United States, whether they guide or at the airport. He spoke with Tom Murphy of the CBC.
“When the border guard will choose to look for someone? It could not be a reason. It could be that they were searched before. It could be that the officer thinks that there is something suspicious. Unfortunately, in general, the officer does not need any type of suspicion to ask the question,” said Schwartz, whose non -partisan organization focuses on the defense of civil freedoms with digital material.
The border guards should scan for evidence of the fact that a traveler could commit a crime in the United States or violate the terms of their entry visa, but negative declarations on the country or its president could make them more difficult.
“What they should scan is proof that someone will commit a crime or violates the terms of their entry visa. But once the officer is around the phone, you know that there is a risk that will go further. Schwartz said.
“They should not be looking for this type of opinions, but if they find this type of opinions, perhaps they will seem even more difficult for potential tests for breaking the law or visa breaking.”
Schwartz said you can refuse a search, but the agents can deny you entry into the United States who could also catch the phone and try to unlock it alone or hold the traveler for several hours.
The current risk assessment of the Canadian government for travel to the United States is still set at low, advises Canadians to continue taking “normal safety precautions”.
While President Donald Trump is finalizing the global tariff plans that announces on Wednesday, we are witnessing multiple signs of the frozen relationship between Canada and the United States. As Justin McElroy reports, the drop in cross -border traffic is significant.
Segal and Schwartz recognized how many people feel uncomfortable. The latter said that travelers must decide how many risks are taking their own at ease.
“For a person who wants to protect himself, of course, the choices are not to go to the border at all or go to the border and hope for the best. If the border guard requires the phone, there are pros and cons of unlocking. There are pros and against rejecting and potentially be rebounded,” he said.
“What people have to decide before reaching the border is how much intrusion of privacy can tolerate.”
