US citizen arrested for wiping phone at airport; judge allows search without warrant

US border agents can search people’s phones and other electronic devices without a warrant or any suspicion, a federal judge has ruled. In a ruling last month, the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit said that border agents do not need reasonable suspicion before manually searching a traveller's cellphone at the border. The ruling comes months after an Atlanta resident, Samuel Tunick was arrested on charges of destruction of property for wiping his phone with PIN during airport search. Prosecutors then accused Tunick of destroying potential evidence. The latest ruling stemmed from a bank fraud and money laundering case against a man in New York City in 2024.What the court saidWriting in the 2nd Circuit’s majority opinion, Judge Steven J. Menashi said that border agents in the case stated above and others can “manually” look through someone’s phone or other device without needing to give a reason.