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Depends on who you are, whose border, and which direction. If you're an American returning from abroad, my understanding is the most they can do is detain you
by Chaebixi 9y ago
Depends on who you are, whose border, and which direction.
If you're an American returning from abroad, my understanding is the most they can do is detain you (briefly) and confiscate your electronic devices for a limited period of time. Americans can't be denied re-entry to the US. So go ahead and refuse as a political statement, the worst that could happen is you'll miss your connection and you'll have to use a temporary phone for a bit.
But if you're a foreign citizen, it's probably best to swallow your pride and comply.
- toomuchtodo 9y agoAs it relates to an American returning from abroad, it doesn't appear what "briefly" means. From about 5 minutes of Googling, it appears anywhere up to 12 hours of detention is possible (based on a 2008 CBP internal memo). Detentions have lasted more than 24 hours though, sometimes for days: "Median Number of Hours Individuals Were Held in Detention, by Sector" https://i.imgur.com/MNYTJzF.png https://i.imgur.com/MNYTJzF.png