U.S. border agents searching electronic devices is way up. Smartwatches, SIM cards and flash drives added to the list
If you’re one of the declining number of Canadians escaping to a warmer destination in the U.S. for March break, be aware that now more of your electronic devices could be searched at the border.
While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that .01 per cent of international passengers arriving in the U.S. were searched over the past three fiscal years, statistics show a marked increase.
In 2024-25, a record 55,318 overall examinations were conducted, up 17 per cent from the year prior (47,047) and 32 per cent from 2022-23 (41,767).
Flash drives, smartwatches and even a phone’s SIM card joined the list of devices that can be reviewed by CBP officers under an updated directive from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that took effect on Jan. 1.
The previous directive , established in 2018, already applied to “searching, reviewing, retaining and sharing information contained in computers, tablets, removable media, disks, drives, tapes, mobile phones, cameras, music and other media players, and any other communication, electronic or digital devices subject to inbound and outbound border searches.”
Also new to the CBP checklist are GPS systems, vehicle infotainment systems and unmanned aircraft systems, such as drones and model planes.
Just over 8,500 searches took place under a past directive adopted in 2007, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which continues to fight legal battles arguing the searches are unconstitutional.
While foreigners represent the bulk of basic search subjects, increasing 26 per cent over that time to 41,728 in 2024-25, the number of Americans asked to hand over their devices jumped by 56 per cent to 13,590.
“A basic search may include documenting information observed on the device during the search that relates to immigration, customs, or other law enforcement actions in CBP systems,” the directive explained, noting they can be done “with or without suspicion.”
Refusing to provide a password to unlock devices can result in confiscation, travel delays, complete denial of entry and even detention while awaiting deportation.
CBP’s data doesn’t specify the number of searches carried out at the border with Canada and the one with Mexico, nor does it specify whether they occurred at air or land points of entry. National Post has contacted the agency for a breakdown.
The agency has previously told this publication that “a llegations that political beliefs trigger inspections or removals are baseless and irresponsible.”
“Lawful travellers have nothing to fear from these measures, which are designed to protect our nation’s security,” DHS said in an email. “However, those intending to enter the U.S. with fraudulent purposes or malicious intent are offered the following advice: Don’t even try.”
Meanwhile, advanced searches, which can only be conducted when “there is a reasonable suspicion” of a law being broken or a national security concern, have not increased significantly, climbing just 10 per cent.
“An advanced search is any search in which an officer connects equipment, wired or wireless, to copy and/or analyze the contents of an electronic device,” DHS wrote in the updated directives.
Additionally, under the previous mandate, the searches were employed to help find evidence related to terrorism, human and bulk cash smuggling, contraband, and child pornography, along with copyright, trademark and export control violations.
The updated document adds narcotics smuggling, firearms smuggling and transnational theft of proprietary information to the list of crimes officers are guarding against.
And whereas the 2018 directive called for the “destruction” of electronic records by way of “deleting, overwriting, or degaussing,” the updates require “sanitization,” which includes “clearing, purging and destruction.”
Canada Border Services Agency officers also have the discretion to search devices, but data over the last eight years shows it’s even less common than in the U.S. and often yields results.
From November 2017 to June 30, 2025, CBSA said a mere .007 per cent of the over 530 million travellers processed at the Canadian border had their devices examined. Of those, 38 per cent “resulted in the detection of a customs or immigration-related contraventions.”
“These examination purposes ranged from establishing a person’s identity and admissibility to Canada, the interception of prohibited goods that pose a threat to public safety (e.g., child sexual abuse and exploitation material or obscenity), and undervalued or undeclared goods,” CBSA explained.
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