Tag: Border security

‘I’m Appalled’: Lawyers Alarmed As Ottawa Gives More Powers To U.S. Border Officers At Canadian Airports | CBC News

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Concerns are mounting over added powers Ottawa has granted U.S. customs officers to strip-search, question and detain U.S.-bound travellers — on Canadian soil. The changes are part of Canada’s new preclearance act, which the federal government says will enhance border security and make travel to the U.S. easier. But Pantea Jafari, an Iranian-Canadian immigration lawyer, fears it could make travel more difficult for her. Read full story here: ‘I’m Appalled’: Lawyers Alarmed As Ottawa Gives More Powers To U.S. Border Officers At Canadian Airports | CBC News

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Border Officials To Start Sharing Data About U.S., Canadian Travellers | CBC News

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Border agents will be able to share information about U.S. and Canadian citizens more freely as the third phase of a 2011 border agreement meant to make it easier for trade and travel across the Canada-U.S. border comes into effect. It was announced on Thursday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency will exchange biographic data, travel documents, and other information related to border crossings of U.S. and Canadian citizens. Read full story here: Border Officials To Start Sharing Data About U.S., Canadian Travellers | CBC News

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US Now Requires Social Media Info For Visa Applications | Engadget

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If you want to stay in the US, you’ll likely have to share your internet presence. As proposed in March 2018 (and to some extent in 2015), the country now requires virtually all visa applicants to provide their social media account names for the past five years. The mandate only covers a list of selected services, although potential visitors and residents can volunteer info if they belong to social sites that aren’t mentioned in the form. Read full story here: US Now Requires Social Media Info For Visa Applications |…

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DHS Gave Border Agents Free Rein Over Thousands Of Warrantless Device Searches | CNET

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Border agents conducted more than 33,000 device searches in 2018. Court records show they were allowed to share what they found with other government agencies. Police are required to get a warrant to search through your devices, but the Department of Homeland Security’s border patrol agents haven’t been following those rules, documents show. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed evidence in court on Tuesday detailing testimony and documents on how the DHS has allowed its agents to search through people’s phones and laptops without a…

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Expect Longer Border Waits After Marijuana Legalization, CBSA Report Warns – National | Globalnews.ca

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The legalization of marijuana could lead to longer waits at Canada’s border crossings as officers deal with “cannabis tourists,” warns an intelligence report obtained by Global News. The declassified Canada Border Services Agency document also said that illicit exports of marijuana “are expected to increase” after legalization, putting additional strain on officers. “Unless exemptions are made for personal amounts of marijuana, cannabis legalization may increase workloads for officers and translate into longer border wait times, particularly at land borders,” it said. Border delays will be particularly bad during summer months…

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U.S. Border Guards Can Search Your Phone: Here Are Some Details On How – Technology & Science – CBC News

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In one of several testy exchanges during a U.S. Senate hearing this week, the country’s secretary of homeland security was pressed to explain a new policy that allows customs agents to examine the cellphones of travellers at the border. “I want to make sure I understand this. I live an hour’s drive from the Canadian border,” said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy. “If I go to Canada and visit some of my wife’s relatives, and I come back … they [can] say, ‘We want your laptop and your phone and your pass…

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Canada’s Border Agency To Start Tracking The Number Of Cellphone Searches – Technology & Science – CBC News

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The Canada Border Services Agency will begin tracking the number of cellphones its officers search at the border, and will provide Canadians their first glimpse into the frequency of those searches after six months. “Right now we’re not tracking separately how many cellphone searches we have done,” said Martin Bolduc, vice-president of the agency’s programs branch, in a meeting before the House of Commons standing committee on access to information, privacy and ethics on Wednesday. But a few weeks ago, he told his team to start. CBSA has long maintained that it…

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