Earlier this year, we brought you a story of a guy that was being sued by the DOJ. Why? Because he gave Customs and Border Patrol the code to unlock his phone. Problem was the code factory reset his phone. CBP was not able to inspect the contents of his phone. The man was a US citizen, in a US airport. Now, another man is suing the federal government. He believes that CBP copied the contents of his phone when they took it. This is the border exemption in action.

In the seven-page complaint, Thomas Kennedy said that a Customs and Border Protection agent at Miami International Airport physically searched his bags. Then questioned him about his books and magazines. Eventually, demanded that he hand over his phone.

Why is this concerning? He collaborates with multiple nonprofit groups. Includes the Florida Immigration Coalition, Amnesty International and the Community Justice Project. He now believes that he was targeted for this work. He was asked repeatedly what he did for a living and if he was an immigration attorney.

“[The agent] threatened me, saying that if I didn’t give him my phone, my interrogation was going to take much longer and they could retain my phone indefinitely,” Kennedy wrote. “I felt like I had no choice, so I handed my phone to the CBP agent.”

Border Exemption Allow Seizures at Airports

Federal courts have long-recognized a “border exception” to the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution, where people, bags, and electronic devices can be searched without a warrant. In the era of the Trump Administration, the government uses it to violate personal freedoms. Search people that are considered a threat by the administration.

Many right-wing cockgobblers say this is to keep illegals and anti-Americans out of our country. But it is more of a target your enemies. This is a legal way to get around the Constitution for its citizens. I bet those same people would scream bloody murder if other countries target those types of Americans. Oh wait. They already do.