Caution to escorts and other crossing Canadian border into the U.S.

[coriolis888]

I did not find this article or any reference to the event anywhere in the forums.

 

This story is scary in several ways.

 

The Canadian guy in the article was traveling from Canada to New Orleans to see his boyfriend.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection selected him for "secondary screening" and looked through his cell phone. Lo and behold, the phone contained naked photos and wording that caused the federal agent to think the Canadian guy could be an escort and was traveling to the U.S. to make money for sex.

 

The article is a warning to anyone who gets caught in the relatively new procedure that United States CBP uses, which is, looking at cell phones, even the phones of U.S. citizens.

 

Word to the wise, non U.S. citizens, don't have anything on your cell phone or laptop while entering the U.S. that could cause you to be denied entry.

 

For U.S. citizens returning to the U.S. you cannot be denied entry but there are reports of CBP detaining people for hours while looking through their phone and laptop.

 

The Canadian guy was refused entry and even after he tried again at a later time, he was again refused because he had wiped his phone clean of any gay data.

 

Here is a link to the event:

 

http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531#.WK0vXRM-Oik.mailto

[maninsoma]

You might have overlooked this thread because its title doesn't clearly convey what it's about.

[+ Eric Hassan]

I've read the article. I have a hard time believing it.

[+ ArVaGuy]

I've read the article. I have a hard time believing it.

 

I've read the report twice and it does seem a few details may have been left out. However, that said, CBP has been intensifying its screening procedures for several years. The current practices described in this article are not new nor were they recently implemented by the new administration in its EO. I would assert we've only become more aware of the extent of the this level of government authority due to news reports of late.

 

The Canadian authorities are just as strict, perhaps even more so, as the US. There's several threads here of just what utter assholes the Canadian border agents are in their treatment of foreign arrivals. From personal experience I'd say the Canadians are the rudest customs officers I've ever encountered in all my international travels.

[coriolis888]

You might have overlooked this thread because its title doesn't clearly convey what it's about.

 

 

You are correct. The title of the thread you cited is inconsistent with the subject, even though the title is humorous.

 

On a related note, it is not only Canada that demands phones and laptop access. U.S. is also asking for the same thing.

 

Here is an article about a U.S. citizen who was stopped this month at U.S. CBP and was ordered to give the password to his electronic devices. His being a citizen allows him to reenter the U.S. but the related hassle of being detained while some curious person looks through his mail and computer is a relatively new thing.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/13/us/citizen-nasa-engineer-detained-at-border-trnd/

 

Again, while traveling internationally (unless you don't get embarrassed), make sure your devices are wiped clean of gay material and photos.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

...Here is an article about a U.S. citizen who was stopped this month at U.S. CBP and was ordered to give the password to his electronic devices.

 

He was asked for access and he willingly consented. That's of his doing. I wouldn't call that ordered, as that would legally be an entirely different situation.

 

That said, I wouldn't give CBP officers consent or access to anything. It's why everything I carry that's electronic has multiple layers of encryption. More so, as already having been vetted through Global Entry, they have little to no leg to stand on in calling me a 'threat' to anything.

 

It's not that I want to be difficult. It's just that with this new administration, I feel that holding onto the rights we have left are an important thing. Dissent- in metered, intelligent dosages- is an incredibly important thing.

[coriolis888]

 

He was asked for access and he willingly consented. That's of his doing. I wouldn't call that ordered, as that would legally be an entirely different situation.

 

That said, I wouldn't give CBP officers consent or access to anything. It's why everything I carry that's electronic has multiple layers of encryption.

 

More so, as already having been vetted through Global Entry, they have little to no leg to stand on in calling me a 'threat' to anything.

 

 

I know what you mean, in theory. Technically he was only asked for access, but they already had his phone.

 

If he had refused, who knows what could have happened to his Global Entry.

 

Not everyone can get Global Entry. It requires a background check and a personal interview with a CBP agent. I travel internationally quite often and would not want to do anything to lose my Global Entry access.

 

It is easy to have those privileges revoked. Even minor items can be the basis for having Global Entry revoked.

 

Check out this article concerning Global Entry privileges:

 

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/30/dont-lose-global-entry-privileges-making-one-simple-mistake/

 

-

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

I know what you mean, in theory. Technically he was only asked for access, but they already had his phone.

 

If he had refused, who knows what could have happened to his Global Entry.

 

Not everyone can get Global Entry. It requires a background check and a personal interview with a CBP agent. I travel internationally quite often and would not want to do anything to lose my Global Entry access.

 

It is easy to have those privileges revoked. Even minor items can be the basis for having Global Entry revoked.

 

Check out this article concerning Global Entry privileges:

 

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/10/30/dont-lose-global-entry-privileges-making-one-simple-mistake/

 

-

 

 

Like I said, metered dissent is an important thing to me.

 

If they took GE away from me, I'd live. I travel 250k+ miles a year on airlines, but I'd sleep better knowing I stood my ground and had the right to say no.

 

Again, that's just me. Everyone else's mileage may vary

[cany10011]

It's scary knowing such small infractions can carry huge consequences. Now that I have Global Entry, i don't even bother carrying anything over if I use the GE/nexus kiosk. If i bring anything across the border, i always go through the regular line and make my declarations there. No problem thus far.

[marylander1940]

I did not find this article or any reference to the event anywhere in the forums.

 

This story is scary in several ways.

 

The Canadian guy in the article was traveling from Canada to New Orleans to see his boyfriend.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection selected him for "secondary screening" and looked through his cell phone. Lo and behold, the phone contained naked photos and wording that caused the federal agent to think the Canadian guy could be an escort and was traveling to the U.S. to make money for sex.

 

The article is a warning to anyone who gets caught in the relatively new procedure that United States CBP uses, which is, looking at cell phones, even the phones of U.S. citizens.

 

Word to the wise, non U.S. citizens, don't have anything on your cell phone or laptop while entering the U.S. that could cause you to be denied entry.

 

For U.S. citizens returning to the U.S. you cannot be denied entry but there are reports of CBP detaining people for hours while looking through their phone and laptop.

 

The Canadian guy was refused entry and even after he tried again at a later time, he was again refused because he had wiped his phone clean of any gay data.

 

Here is a link to the event:

 

http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531#.WK0vXRM-Oik.mailto

 

@coriolis888 thank you for the warning!

 

@escortrod and others, please beware what's on your phone, laptop, notes with names, phones and dates of meetings...

[coriolis888]

It's scary knowing such small infractions can carry huge consequences. Now that I have Global Entry, i don't even bother carrying anything over if I use the GE/nexus kiosk. If i bring anything across the border, i always go through the regular line and make my declarations there. No problem thus far.

 

 

Here are a few reports of negative experiences some Global Entry holders have received:

 

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trusted-travelers/1572215-global-entry-card-taken-away-yyz-airport.html

-

[marylander1940]

He was asked for access and he willingly consented. That's of his doing. I wouldn't call that ordered, as that would legally be an entirely different situation.

 

That said, I wouldn't give CBP officers consent or access to anything. It's why everything I carry that's electronic has multiple layers of encryption. More so, as already having been vetted through Global Entry, they have little to no leg to stand on in calling me a 'threat' to anything.

 

It's not that I want to be difficult. It's just that with this new administration, I feel that holding onto the rights we have left are an important thing. Dissent- in metered, intelligent dosages- is an incredibly important thing.

 

I think customs officials have the right to search your iPhone sometimes even when you're leaving the country.

[bigvalboy]

I did not find this article or any reference to the event anywhere in the forums.

 

This story is scary in several ways.

 

The Canadian guy in the article was traveling from Canada to New Orleans to see his boyfriend.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection selected him for "secondary screening" and looked through his cell phone. Lo and behold, the phone contained naked photos and wording that caused the federal agent to think the Canadian guy could be an escort and was traveling to the U.S. to make money for sex.

 

The article is a warning to anyone who gets caught in the relatively new procedure that United States CBP uses, which is, looking at cell phones, even the phones of U.S. citizens.

 

Word to the wise, non U.S. citizens, don't have anything on your cell phone or laptop while entering the U.S. that could cause you to be denied entry.

 

For U.S. citizens returning to the U.S. you cannot be denied entry but there are reports of CBP detaining people for hours while looking through their phone and laptop.

 

The Canadian guy was refused entry and even after he tried again at a later time, he was again refused because he had wiped his phone clean of any gay data.

 

Here is a link to the event:

 

http://www.dailyxtra.com/canada/news-and-ideas/news/us-customs-block-canadian-man-reading-scruff-profile-215531#.WK0vXRM-Oik.mailto

 

Thanks for the warning. Soon will be traveling back to Canada. After numerous trips to Montreal over the years with no issues, I was stopped once and had a serious problem. Since then I have been very diligent in making sure that I could cross without any issues. It's been my observation that Canadians are basically a pain in the ass (my snowbird neighbors included) but the boys are beautiful and worth the trip.

[+ ArVaGuy]

He was asked for access and he willingly consented. That's of his doing. I wouldn't call that ordered, as that would legally be an entirely different situation.

 

That said, I wouldn't give CBP officers consent or access to anything. It's why everything I carry that's electronic has multiple layers of encryption. More so, as already having been vetted through Global Entry, they have little to no leg to stand on in calling me a 'threat' to anything.

 

It's not that I want to be difficult. It's just that with this new administration, I feel that holding onto the rights we have left are an important thing. Dissent- in metered, intelligent dosages- is an incredibly important thing.

 

 

This CBP procedure pre-dates the current administration. The previous administration began ramping up this practice more than five years ago. We are more attuned to the matter of late due to media reports.

 

While you can refuse to consent to a search as a US citizen this will only raise red flags to the CBP agents. Yes, you can request a warrant as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. And CBP will detain you until that warrant is signed by a judge. Which will likely take less than an hour. They will just hold you for a few hours claiming the warrant is in process. In the interval they will review every single reentry you've had for at least the last five years.

 

Then, with warrant in hand, they will request the encryption password to review your data. Refusing to comply would open up an even bigger can of worms. So my advice would be, while waiting for that warrant, call your lawyer.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

This CBP procedure pre-dates the current administration. The previous administration began ramping up this practice more than five years ago. We are more attuned to the matter of late due to media reports.

 

While you can refuse to consent to a search as a US citizen this will only raise red flags to the CBP agents. Yes, you can request a warrant as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. And CBP will detain you until that warrant is signed by a judge. Which will likely take less than an hour. They will just hold you for a few hours claiming the warrant is in process. In the interval they will review every single reentry you've had for at least the last five years.

 

Then, with warrant in hand, they will request the encryption password to review your data. Refusing to comply would open up an even bigger can of worms. So my advice would be, while waiting for that warrant, call your lawyer.

 

I'm well aware of how this situation goes

 

My attorney would have already been called from the moment they asked me to furnish them passwords, etc

 

It's also always a good idea to set up a mobile device with what is akin to a Maxwell Smart switch: Multiple wrong password attempts or forced backdoor access triggers the device to corrupt its data. It might seem a little too far to go, but peace of mind is never a bad thing.

[coriolis888]

I'm well aware of how this situation goes

 

My attorney would have already been called from the moment they asked me to furnish them passwords, etc

 

It's also always a good idea to set up a mobile device with what is akin to a Maxwell Smart switch: Multiple wrong password attempts or forced backdoor access triggers the device to corrupt its data. It might seem a little too far to go, but peace of mind is never a bad thing.

 

 

Shouldn't we choose our battles with care rather than with principle?

 

While it is true that we could stand by our rights and refuse the "request" to access our phone or laptop, why get detained? Why waste time, energy and money (for an attorney) over something like this?

 

Being detained and going through the consequences of an issue with CBP could put a sour ending to an otherwise good international trip.

 

The government already knows more about us than we could ever imagine because we are in countless data bases. There really is little privacy remaining considering modern technology (including the nude-o-scope) at airport security. With this in mind, if the CBP agent asks for your password (s), so be it - cooperate. You will be on your way a lot faster than if you refuse.

 

Life is too short for such aggravation.

 

Like I wrote earlier, your Global Entry could be revoked because of failure to cooperate with a routine request by a CBP agent. CBP agents have enormous latitude.

 

Where is "peace of mind" in the refusal to cooperate?

 

And a final reminder, make sure there is nothing embarrassing on your devices.

[kewtex]

Shouldn't we choose our battles with care rather than with principle?

 

The principle at stake for Americans is the violation of our Fourth Amendment rights: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

 

I detest the fact that purchasing an airline ticket has become tantamount to consenting to be searched. It is noting more than smoke and mirrors.

[bigvalboy]

The principle at stake for Americans is the violation of our Fourth Amendment rights: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

 

I detest the fact that purchasing an airline ticket has become tantamount to consenting to be searched. It is noting more than smoke and mirrors.

 

Quoting the Fourth Amendment standing on your front porch is one thing, but you have to remember you are entering a foreign country, so stand on your principles all you want, if it makes you feel better, but just know, by doing that to someone entrusted in protecting their country, it could easily end up getting you detained or worse, sent home on the next flight. Standing on principle at YUL got my friend a free flight back to LAX compliments of the Canadian Government. Ruined his vacation. And I remember decades ago when I landed at BKK for the first time, my friend turned to me and said, "Remember girlfriend, you're not in Kansas anymore, these people don't care who you are, and they don't care that you have your lawyer on speed dial"...I started laughing, and he said, "I'm serious." That became the template for my attitude about travel. Forty plus years later, there have been a few issues, but they are few and far between. If I could give one piece of advice when traveling, it would be..."Leave the attitude at home, and be conciliatory, and cooperate with those in authority." The delay is often only minutes, and you can quickly go on with your life.

 

@coriolis888 makes good points in his post.

[mike carey]

"Remember, you're not in Kansas anymore, these people don't care who you are, and they don't care that you have your lawyer on speed dial"...I started laughing, and he said, "I'm serious"

The bottom line is that when you are arriving in a foreign country you have no rights. Unless you are claiming to be a refugee, and even that won't always work (says the Australian). Clearly Canada and the RCMP have had some good press recently dealing with arrivals from the US, but if you are a US citizen claiming refugee status as you cross the 49th may not work.

[+ bigjoey]

Going back more than a decade ago, Gaiety dancers often had trouble at the border coming and going. As I recall, one told me he had trouble getting into the U.S. so he would go to Windsor and when their bars closed at midnight, a hord of drinking party goers would cross over to the U.S. side as the bars were still open there for another two hours. The border guards would just wave all the fun seeking drinkers through in mass.

 

Returning, the CBP once confiscated his large amount of cash. After that, he trusted me enough to FED EX his money to him after he got home; never had a problem with cash sent that way.

 

This was in the late 90's before 9-11 and generally tightened border security.

[+ Keith30309]

http://alanparker.com/wp-content/uploads/MidnightExpress-Film-Stills-18.jpg

"BUT I REALLY CANT REMEMBER MY PIN !!!"

[fedssocr1]

I've been reading and thinking about this a lot lately since the story of the NASA engineer came out a couple of weeks ago. To the point where I am considering getting a separate phone and laptop for travel. But if they start asking for social media account info none of that would make any difference.

 

EFF has some good info and suggestions for US citizens, but it is a few years old at this point. This has been going on since the Bush administration, but we're either hearing more about it now or they are ramping it up. The current DHS Secretary is also talking about requiring all sorts of invasive searches of foreigners trying to enter the country. I think that would kill tourism pretty fast which would cause a huge outcry from that industry.

 

Wired had a more recent article. This is another decent post which references the Wired article.

[bigvalboy]

http://alanparker.com/wp-content/uploads/MidnightExpress-Film-Stills-18.jpg

"BUT I REALLY CANT REMEMBER MY PIN !!!"

 

LMAO...

[+ glutes]

Like I wrote earlier, your Global Entry could be revoked because of failure to cooperate with a routine request by a CBP agent. CBP agents have enormous latitude.

 

I do over 250K miles a year myself, flying private alleviates all those pesky border problems.

[escortrod]

I do over 250K miles a year myself, flying private alleviates all those pesky border problems.

That would be at least 26 days in the air, not to mention time spent getting to/from the airport, taxiing, etc. More than I'd care to do.