Border officers inspected 52,080 traveler devices in first three quarters
CBP data shows a 32 percent jump in device searches compared to the previous year, though the agency withheld details on location and citizenship.
By Pedro Barnes ·
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has searched 52,080 electronic devices during the first three quarters of fiscal year 2026. The agency’s data, released to CBC News, indicates this figure is on pace to exceed the previous annual record.
The count covers the period from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Officers examined 39,251 devices over the same stretch in the prior year. That represents a 32 percent increase. The total for fiscal 2025 was 55,424 devices.
CBP classified 47,517 of the inspections as basic searches. Officers can conduct these without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. An additional 4,564 were advanced searches, which require reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity or a national security concern to analyze or copy device contents.
The agency did not provide a breakdown of where the searches occurred. It declined to state how many took place at the Canadian border versus the Mexican border, or how they divided between airports and land crossings. CBP also withheld the total number of travelers who entered the country during that period and the split between U.S. citizens and non-citizens. These details typically appear in its annual reports.
Jessica Turner, a public affairs officer for CBP, noted in an email that the searches affect a small fraction of the 419 million travelers who entered the country in 2025. "CBP's border searches of electronic device numbers are consistent with increases since 2021, and year-over-year only 0.01 per cent of travellers have their devices searched," Turner wrote. She stated the inspections aim to detect digital contraband, terrorism-related content, and information relevant to admissibility.
Esha Bhandari, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, said the rise warrants more congressional oversight. "It's hard to speculate on the reasons for the increase because the government doesn't explain it," Bhandari said. She argued that the government tends to use its powers "to the detriment of travellers' privacy." She cited anecdotes from her group regarding travelers being asked about political opinions, writing, or religious practice.
In January, CBP updated its guidelines to include flash drives, SIM cards, GPS systems, unmanned aircraft systems, vehicle infotainment systems, and smart watches under the scope of device searches. The update also added smuggling of narcotics, firearms, or other goods, transnational theft of proprietary information, and digital contraband to the list of crimes targeted. Laura Dawson, executive director of the Future Borders Coalition, said the increase is difficult to judge without location and traffic data. She noted that searches also happen at seaports and airports and that the summer World Cup may have altered the mix of visitors. Dawson said one in 9,000 crossings leads to a U.S. inspection, while one in 14,000 leads to a search on the Canadian side.
