What are my rights at the U.S. border?
Be aware that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents -- which are part of the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) -- are permitted to search you and your belongings at the U.S. border without probable cause or a search warrant. So anytime you cross the border, you consent to a search.
CBP may generally stop and search the property of anyone entering or exiting the U.S. If agents have reasonable suspicion to believe you're concealing contraband, they may search your body using pat-down, strip, body cavity, or involuntary x-ray searches.
Checkpoints Near the Border
Be aware that DHS agents have recently set up constitutionally-questionable "security checkpoints" up to 100 miles inside U.S. territory. If you should drive into one of these roadblocks, you are not required to answer the agent's questions (usually starting with "Are you a United States citizen?"). Nor are you required to consent to any searches.
Visit www.checkpointusa.org/blog to learn more about this program and check out the video below. By actively "flexing" his rights, he exposes the techniques police typically use to trick and intimidate citizens into compliance. Take note the practical necessity of flexing your rights repeatedly.
Below clip from the DVD, BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters
