CBP Searches 52,080 Traveler Devices in Nine Months

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents searched 52,080 electronic devices at the border from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. That count represents a 32 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. The pace of inspections puts the agency on track to break the 2025 record of 55,424 device searches.

CBP classified 47,517 of these inspections as basic searches. Officers can conduct these without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. The remaining 4,564 were advanced searches, which require reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity or a national security concern. These advanced checks allow agents to analyze or copy the contents of a device.

Jessica Turner, a CBP public affairs officer, noted that the searches affected a small fraction of the 419 million travelers who entered the country in 2025. She stated in an emailed response that only 0.01 percent of travelers have their devices searched on a year-over-year basis. Turner said the inspections aim to detect digital contraband, terrorism-related content, and information relevant to admissibility.

Privacy advocates argue the lack of granular data obscures the scope of the practice. Esha Bhandari, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, said the government rarely explains why the numbers rise. She told reporters that the increase calls for more congressional oversight. Bhandari said the agency tends to use its power to the detriment of travelers' privacy.

Bhandari pointed to anecdotes her group has received, including travelers being asked about political opinions, writing, or religious practice. She suggested the rise may reflect advances in technology and a failure of federal courts to limit government authority. In January, CBP updated its guidelines to include items such as flash drives, SIM cards, GPS systems, and smart watches in the scope of device searches.

Laura Dawson, executive director of the Future Borders Coalition, said it is difficult to judge the increase without knowing where the searches occurred. She noted that the World Cup this summer may have brought a more diverse mix of visitors. Dawson also cited closer cooperation between Canadian and U.S. border services on human smuggling and the Ryan Wedding case. She added that having more scrutiny at the border is actually a positive in many ways.

Dawson said device searches remain rare despite alarming stories on social media. By her figures, one in 9,000 crossings leads to a U.S. inspection. On the Canadian side, one in 14,000 crossings leads to a search. Canadian officials have searched a much smaller share of devices than their U.S. counterparts in recent years. The Canada Border Services Agency has not yet released its 2026 statistics.