There is always more to a story then what is printed. I wonder why the agents would spend hours on one individual. Perhaps they knew something we don’t.
...searched without probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion.
~~~
Who decided that this is fact? The author?
They picked him completely at random to search his phone?
I doubt it.
Does it smack of civil rights violation, if say, it happened at a traffic stop, or worse, in a private residence, anywhere that a reasonable expectation of privacy is in place? Yes. But this is international air travel. Anyone who goes through TSA already understands they are willing giving up certain rights to privacy.
Non American? Non Citizen? Sorry. The rights are for US. Watch your butts aliens
No need for probable cause or reasonable suspicion at the border. If in doubt, travel naked and with a burner phone. Move data across borders using a PIE (pre internet encryption) service and never share your keys.
CBP has extended search rights if they are at the border.
I like to watch the many videos on youtube showing how Customs agents of various countries operate.Canadian and British agents have been filmed for TV series and they *routinely* search cell phones and computers.
For that matter...a few years back Canadian Customs officials searched my car *and* laptop at the border.Of course they found nothing and I was allowed in...but I assumed that under Canadian law they were authorized to do so and I,knowing that I was subject to Canadian law at the time,wasn't gonna protest.
So what???
I’m supposed to feel sorry for someone who has no legal right to be here???
We don’t need to add to the dope smoking crew
“The Chinese market is huge and can be enticing for many business owners, but a visit to China can threaten your business if you aren’t careful.
Your valuable intellectual property and other proprietary information could be vulnerable to electronic snooping. Entrepreneurs report incidents of laptops and other devices being tampered with in customs and when left in hotel rooms in China. They also have seen signs that e-mail, Internet use and phone conversations may have been subject to surveillance.”
He tried to enter the U.S. legally, with a visa.
If he had tried to sneak across the southern border illegally with the hundreds of thousands of others, he would have gotten in, NQA. They might have even had a welfare check waiting for him.
That thing about unreasonable search? OH! it doesn’t apply in airports. Funny, the Constitution says nothing about airports being an exception.
Still think it’s the land of the free?
“He was traveling to the United States to see a friend but was stopped at the airport and searched without probable cause, or even reasonable suspicion. “
You have no Fourth Amendment rights at the border when you are seeking entry into the United States. The authorities do not need probable cause, and do not need reasonable suspicion.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_search_exception
Zhang “Charles” Wei?
Mohamed “Charles” Ali?
Customs officers have full powers under Title 19 Section 1581:
“Any officer of the customs may at any time go on board of any vessel or vehicle at any place in the United States or within the customs water of, as he may be authorized, within a customs-enforcement area established under the Anti-Smuggling Act, or at any other authorized place, without as well as within his district, and examine the manifest and other documents and papers and examine, inspect and search the vessel or vehicle and every part thereof and any person, trunk, package, or cargo on board, and to this end may hail and stop such vessel or vehicle, and use all necessary force to compel compliance.”
I’ve had my luggage searched on domestic flights several times. The only reason I even knew about it was the TSA note left inside. I have no problem with that. If you’re a foreigner, and don’t want to be searched, don’t come into the US.
“Illegal phone search,” you say?