'Back Door' By Susan Stellin: Article Analysis

In the Article, The Border is a Back Door for U.S Device Searches, Susan Stellin raises concerns for the U.S government to seize and examine travelers electronic devices when crossing the border without the need of obtaining a search warrant. The person does not need to be a person of interest to examine travelers, it can be anyone who is crossing the border that can be detained and confiscated of any electronic devices that person carries. Stellin says that the searches are a violation of American rights and deprives Americans from their constitutional protections agains search and seizure under the Fourth Amendment. The documents for allowing the searches were turned over mainly used to terminate any illegal activities such as drug smuggling, …show more content…
David worked as a computer programmer and research, and was a friend of Manning, the United States Army private who was accused of leaking classified materials to Wikileaks, a site that publishes and shares private material from anonymous sources. House who went on vacation to Mexico in November of 2010 then returned to the United States, had all of his electronic devices including his cell phone and computer seized. The Department of Homeland Security did not ask for permission and went ahead and turned over his devices to be searched to the Army Criminal Investigation Command. When the search was done, there was no evidence found of any crime involving the Wikileaks. In defense of House, Catherine Crump, a lawyer of the American Civil Liberties Union, represented House claiming that the government took advantage of their powers to search people at the border. The search was bot used for illegal activities of drug smuggling, pornography or terrorism but of their own interest in a case that involved Bradley Manning and leaked classified