US visa warning prompts lawyer to make ‘burner phone’ suggestion for Canadian citizens
Canadians are scared to enter the US, says an immigration lawyer, who has been receiving a lot of emails about what to expect when crossing the border.
Canadians are being advised to travel light when entering the US due to heightened security measures, including phones being searched.
Heather Segal, an immigration lawyer and founding partner of Segal Immigration Law in Toronto, has been inundated with questions about what to expect when crossing the border amid concerns about safety.
When speaking to CBC News, Segal gave viewers a concerning piece of advice while addressing "heightened security and heightened investigations at the border.”
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Segal said: "There is just tremendous fear, fear for numerous reasons. First of all, there's fear of getting detained. There's fear of not getting into the United States.”
Stories of legal visa and green card holders - and even U.S. citizens - being detained have been popping up at an alarming rate. Additionally, searches of phones and laptops are on the rise.
CAIR-Massachusetts is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization.
Executive Director Tahirah Amtul-Wadud explains: "Everyone, including U.S. citizens, is at risk of having their phones and devices not only taken and searched but the contents also downloaded."
Segal explained: ”To protect yourself, more so now than ever, I think it is a great idea to take a burner phone, to not take your technology, to not take anything on your technology that you would be afraid of any government entity knowing or having.”
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She added: "The concept of privacy is completely different when you enter the United States.”
Ravi Jain, an immigration lawyer and founder of Jain Immigration Law in Toronto, agreed with Segal.
When speaking to CBC News, he said: "I think people need to be a bit more aware that the U.S. is not messing around."
