Search of Phone Contents by Customs Agents
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A federal court has ruled that United States border agents cannot search cellphones without warrants in the Eastern District of New York. The decision applies to both US citizens and international visitors entering the region, which includes New York City, the most-visited site by overseas travelers.
The case stems from a 2022 incident in which border agents manually searched the phone of a man named Kurbonali Sultanov at JFK Airport in New York. He initially refused and then handed over the device once agents said he had no choice. The phone was later searched more thoroughly with a warrant, but Sultanov moved to suppress evidence obtained during the initial search, claiming it violated his rights.
Right now, this only applies to NY.
I disagree with this ruling.
