Border Agents Inspected 52,080 Devices in First Three Quarters

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers searched 52,080 electronic devices during the first three quarters of fiscal year 2026. The figure covers the period from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. This number is 32 percent higher than the 39,251 devices inspected during the same timeframe in the prior year.

The current total approaches the all-time high set in fiscal year 2025. In that year, agents searched a record 55,424 devices. CBP data indicates that 47,517 of the 2026 inspections were basic searches. Officers can conduct these without reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. The remaining 4,564 were advanced searches. These require reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity or a national security concern and allow agents to analyze or copy device contents.

The agency did not provide a breakdown of where the searches took place. It declined to state how many occurred at the Canadian border versus the Mexican border. CBP also did not specify the split between airports and land crossings. The data release withheld the total number of travelers who entered the country during the period. It also omitted the count of searches involving U.S. citizens compared to non-citizens. These specifics are typically included in annual reports.

Jessica Turner, a CBP public affairs officer, addressed the volume of searches in an emailed response. She noted that 419 million travelers entered the country in 2025. Turner stated that only 0.01 percent of those travelers had their devices searched year-over-year. She said the inspections aim to detect digital contraband, terrorism-related content, and information relevant to admissibility. Turner added that the numbers are consistent with increases seen since 2021.

In January 2026, CBP updated its guidelines for device inspections. The new rules expanded the scope to include flash drives, SIM cards, GPS systems, unmanned aircraft, vehicle infotainment systems, and smartwatches. The update also added narcotics, firearms, and transnational theft of proprietary information to the list of items agents seek to detect. Esha Bhandari, director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, said these changes altered only a few procedures at the margins.

Bhandari said the lack of detailed data makes it difficult to understand the reasons for the rise. She argued that when the government holds a power, it tends to use it to the detriment of travelers’ privacy. She cited anecdotes of travelers being asked about political opinions, writing, or religious practice. She called for more congressional oversight and accountability. Laura Dawson, executive director of the Future Borders Coalition, said the increase is hard to judge without knowing where the searches occurred. Dawson noted that the World Cup this summer may have brought a more diverse mix of visitors.

Dawson pointed to greater focus on border security and closer cooperation between Canadian and U.S. border services. She mentioned joint efforts on human smuggling and the Ryan Wedding case. She said having more scrutiny at the border is a positive in many ways. Dawson noted that device searches remain rare despite social media stories. She calculated that one in 9,000 crossings leads to a U.S. inspection. On the Canadian side, one in 14,000 crossings leads to a search. Canadian officials have searched a smaller share of devices than U.S. agents in recent years, and those numbers have been falling.

The Canada Border Services Agency has not yet released its 2026 statistics. CBP’s data for the first three quarters of fiscal 2026 stands at 52,080 inspected devices. The agency’s annual report will provide the full-year total and the missing demographic and location data.