Your entry and exit history based on your I-94 is available online at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/search/history-search. This will make your life much easier when renewing or applying for a change of status, etc.
US Customs and Border Protection Electronic Searches for 2025
Per Luis Mejia, the CBP Director of the Enforcement Programs Division, Office of Field Operations, who spoke at AILA on June 19, 2025, in 2025 there were 11 million people sent to secondary at the various border pre-clearance stations. (e.g. airports) Of those, 55,000 travelers had their electronic devices searched. That is .5%. But still, I doubt even 5,000 of the 55,000 had any of evidence of a crime on someone’s phone or laptop. CBP for 2024 reported 17,000 people were arrested for a prior criminal conviction (not a current crime). I suspect very few of the inspections were of US Citizens. By the way, Director Mejia is straight forward, and a cool guy.
Continue Reading US Customs and Border Protection Electronic Searches for 2025
Use FOIA to Support Immigration Waivers to enter the United States
The first challenge to obtaining a waiver, or ascertaining the best way to overcome denial of entry into the United States is figuring out what information the U.S government has on you. The U.S. has a lot of information publicly available such as from here https://www.dhs.gov/foia-library and look here https://www.uscis.gov/records/electronic-reading-room. However, you also want
USCIS Prostitution Waivers INA §212(h) — No hardship need be shown (nor 15 year wait) required!
Persons inadmissible because they were convicted of (or admit to) engaging in prostitution (See INA §212(a)(2)(D)(i) can use the less burdensome standard for a INA § 212(h) waiver. Technically, the applicant for a waiver only needs to show her admission is not contrary to the national welfare and has been rehabilitated. (INA §212(h)(2)) “Hardship to
US Border Police cannot search inside your cell phone or laptop to just fish around (U.S. v. Miguel Angel Cano 9th Cir. Aug. 16, 2019)
While the law still allows the U.S. CBP (Customs, Border Patrol) to conduct a limited search of a cell phone or laptop at the border without any suspicion whatsoever based upon the border search exception which is designed for customs inspections, the court re-visited United States v. Cotterman, 709 F.3d 952 (9th Cir. 2013)