What do customs officers see on their computers?

The officer at primary inspection will verify your identity and check your name against various computer databases. The officers are on the lookout for people who might be a security risk or who are using a tourist or other nonimmigrant visa to gain entry to the United States for illegal purposes or a permanent stay.

Can customs search your computer?

Customs officers are legally allowed to search travelers’ personal electronics without a warrant — whether they’re visitors or American citizens. Travelers can refuse access to their devices, but customs officers are not obligated to allow someone into the country.

Do I have to declare my laptop at Customs?

The short answer is, no. Customs and Border Protection do not need a warrant or probable cause to search your phone or laptop. Since 2013, the Department of Homeland Security has claimed legal authority to search your electronic devices without a warrant or probable cause at the U.S. border or international airports.

Can CBP force you to unlock your phone?

A US appeals court has ruled that Customs and Border Protection agents can conduct in-depth searches of phones and laptops, overturning an earlier legal victory for civil liberties groups. The group includes Sidd Bikkannavar, a NASA scientist who was detained and pressured to unlock a secure government-issued phone.

Do I have to give customs my password?

Refusing to supply a password can lead to CBP denying entry, plain and simple. The government is attempting to make it mandatory that travelers not only unlock devices, but supply passwords to social media and other accounts.

How long can customs detain you?

The new standards define short-term detention as the “temporary detention of a person at a CBP facility for the least amount of time necessary to complete processing, transfer, and/or repatriation.” It also establishes that “detainees should generally not be held for longer than 72 hours in CBP hold rooms or holding …

What items need to be declared at customs?

What Must I Declare?

Anything you bought (including from duty-free shops or on a ship or airplane)
Anything you inherited or received as a gift (you’ll have to estimate the fair market price of the gift)
Anything you brought home for a friend.
Anything you plan to use or sell in your business.

Can CBP officers carry off duty?

1. The authority for Authorized Officers/Agents to carry a CBP firearm is provided by federal law, including 8 U.S.C. Such carriage, whether on- or off-duty, is governed by this Handbook and applicable CBP policy.

Can a customs officer demand access to your phone?

Imagine returning home to Australia or New Zealand after a long-haul flight, exhausted and red-eyed. You’ve just reclaimed your baggage after getting through immigration when you’re stopped by a customs officer who demands you hand over your smartphone and the password.

Can a CBP officer search an electronic device?

Yes. According to current CBP policy, officials should search electronic devices with a supervisor in the room, when feasible, and also in front of the person being questioned “unless there are national security, law enforcement, or other operational considerations” that take priority.

Can a Customs and Border Protection Officer Search your phone?

However, those protections are lessened when entering the country at international terminals at airports, other ports of entry and subsequently any location that falls within 100 air miles of an external U.S. boundary. How broad is Customs and Border Protection’s search authority?

Can a Border Patrol Officer Search your laptop?

In a majority decision, the court affirmed that cursory searches of laptops — such as having travelers turn their devices on and then examining their contents — does not require any specific suspicions about the travelers to justify them.

Why did the border officer open my laptop?

As he is passing through U.S. customs, a border official randomly decides to open his laptop and look through his photo folder. Michael’s photo folder contains several images of child pornography.

Can United States of America immigration officials see my police caution?

If your case is related to immigration to the United States of America, we have excellent links with attorneys based in New York, and will often strategise a case in coordination with an immigration application. We have successfully applied for the expungement of many police cautions, and other police records, in the past.

How are police allowed to search your computer?

Example: Police arrive at Tony’s house with a warrant to search his computer for evidence about a real estate scam that could lead to Tony being charged with mortgage fraud. While looking through files related to the scam, the officer comes across a subfolder called “Underage XXX.”