In light of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent immigration enforcement memoranda, additional scrutiny in all areas of immigration should be expected, particularly at the border. When traveling internationally, it is important for everyone to be prepared for delays when going through immigration at US airports and land borders, additional questioning by Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) officers, and the possibility that a CBP Officer will ask to inspect your electronic devices, such as phones and laptops. This can result in CBP confiscating the devices for several weeks or months.
As a precaution, we recommend that individuals traveling for business take proactive steps to ensure the confidentiality of client, customer and proprietary information on their laptops and mobile devices. Phones and computers should contain only information that is needed for the business trip. And if the device or information is not required for the trip, consider leaving it at home. Please make sure that the content on your electronic devices will not cause any trouble for you. We also ask that you remain patient and cooperative with the CBP officers.
Recently, CBP Officers have been requesting social media passwords to review the social networking activity of international travelers. Unfortunately, if asked for such information, you will need to comply with the request. As a reminder, content posted in cyberspace is never confidential.
If you have any questions or concerns about upcoming international travel, please do not hesitate to contact us.