United States border crossings are experiencing an unprecedented surge in electronic device searches, with newly released government statistics revealing that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) searched 14,899 electronic devices of international travelers between April and June 2025. This figure marks a 17% increase over the previous record high, which was set in early 2022, according to data published by the agency and reported by Wired.
The CBP, tasked with screening travelers at the nation’s borders, wields broad authority to inspect phones, laptops, cameras, and other electronics belonging to anyone entering the country—including U.S. citizens. While the agency’s statistics do not break down the searches by device type, the scope is clear: any traveler, regardless of citizenship or visa status, could be subject to scrutiny.
Most of these inspections are what the agency calls “basic” searches, where border agents ask travelers to unlock their devices and may request passwords, then manually peruse the contents. In the past three months, 13,824 searches fell into this category. Advanced searches, which are much more intrusive, accounted for 1,075 cases in the same period. These involve connecting the device to specialized forensic tools capable of extracting and analyzing vast amounts of data—everything from text messages to hidden files, as WIRED notes.
The number of advanced searches, while steady over the last 21 months, could be poised to rise. The second Trump administration, which has recently taken aggressive actions on migration, has increased the budgets for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to WIRED, CBP is currently seeking new digital forensic tools to enhance its capabilities, with contracts already in place with companies like Cellebrite. One agency request for information described a desire for tools that could "search a list of text messages to find patterns or ‘hidden language’ in suspect communications that may not be obvious at first look."
This uptick in device searches is part of a broader trend. In 2015, CBP conducted 8,503 searches. By 2018, that number had soared to 33,296. The last full fiscal year for which data is available—2024—saw 46,362 searches, underscoring a dramatic expansion of this practice across multiple administrations.
Despite these sharp increases, the CBP maintains that device searches remain rare. The agency’s website claims that “less than 0.01 percent” of international travelers had their devices searched in the most recent year of available data. Still, for those who do experience it, the process can be deeply unsettling and, at times, consequential.
Travelers are required to present their devices in a condition that allows for examination. This typically means the device must be unlocked, and officials may ask for passwords. While U.S. citizens and green card holders cannot legally be denied entry for refusing to comply, their devices can be seized—sometimes indefinitely—and they may be subjected to further questioning. Foreign visitors, on the other hand, face a starker choice: refusal can lead to detention or outright denial of entry.
According to Wired, the constitutionality of these border searches remains unresolved. Judicial opinions across the country are split, and the issue has yet to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The border zone is widely considered to fall outside the usual Fourth Amendment protections that require officials to obtain a warrant before searching personal electronic devices.
These policies have not gone unnoticed by travelers and advocacy groups. Esha Bhandari, a deputy director at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, expressed deep concern about the breadth of the CBP’s authority. “This is essentially a limitless authority that they claim for themselves to search travelers without a warrant to search the full scope of information people carry on them,” Bhandari told WIRED. She also warned of a chilling effect: “The real issue is the chilling effect it has on all travelers.” Bhandari pointed out that anyone could be subject to a search, from journalists and lawyers carrying sensitive information to individuals critical of the administration.
Indeed, the impact is being felt far beyond the border itself. Since the start of 2025, some travelers have reported extended detentions, intrusive phone inspections, and even being denied entry due to content found on their devices. This has led to tangible consequences for U.S. tourism. In recent months, some European travelers have canceled trips to the U.S., and the number of Canadian visitors has dropped for seven consecutive months, WIRED reports.
For many, the process is fraught with uncertainty and anxiety. The rules are clear in some respects—citizens cannot be refused entry, but their devices may be taken; foreign visitors risk being sent home—but the experience can still feel arbitrary. The CBP’s stance is that these measures are necessary for national security and law enforcement, but critics argue that the sweeping powers risk infringing on the privacy and civil liberties of millions.
What does a basic search actually look like? Imagine a border agent scrolling through your phone, checking your photos, messages, and emails. They may not have time to dig through every app or folder, but the intrusion is real. Advanced searches, on the other hand, can pull out data that even the device’s owner might not realize is stored—deleted messages, metadata, and more. The agency’s push for ever-more sophisticated tools suggests that this kind of deep dive could soon become more common.
While the CBP did not immediately respond to WIRED’s requests for comment, its public messaging emphasizes the rarity of these searches and frames them as critical to border security. But as device searches climb to record highs, the debate over privacy, legality, and the proper limits of government power at the border is only growing more urgent.
For now, travelers entering the U.S.—whether returning citizens, green card holders, or foreign visitors—face a reality where their digital lives may be laid bare at the border. The legal landscape is unsettled, the technology is advancing, and the number of searches is rising. As the U.S. continues to grapple with questions of security, privacy, and civil liberties, the border remains a flashpoint for some of the most pressing debates of our time.
