this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
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United States | News & Politics

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 22 hours ago

Its nothing new tbh. C.K Chesterton is quoted about his entry into the US:

I have stood on the other side of Jordan, in the land ruled by a rude Arab chief, where the police looked so like brigands that one wondered what the brigands looked like. But they did not ask me whether I had come to subvert the power of the Shereef; and they did not exhibit the faintest curiosity about my personal views on the ethical basis of civil authority.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 21 hours ago

Ain't a whole lot of that illegal without a warrant? Never consent to searches, even if you're innocent.

[–] [email protected] 131 points 1 day ago (3 children)

political memes he liked on Instagram

I never want to hear another American lecture about the importance of "freedom of speech".

[–] [email protected] 5 points 21 hours ago

I came here to quote this. Its like they know we have a detestable, rotten president and are insecure about it or something.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

"At least we're not in China" mfs increasingly in shambles over the last year (I was one of them)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

America will increasingly mirror China in a lot of its worst ways now.

Like shooting for the moon and landing among the stars, President Trump is aiming for North Korea, in his efforts to make Americans obediently treat him like a God, he's gonna land somewhere between Beijing and Vladivostok.

He is building a police state that trumps the word of law and treats Trump's word as law.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Take it easy, these are traitors to the Constitution.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago (13 children)

Take it easy, these are traitors to the Constitution.

Cool. Anything being done to stop them?

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[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Be advised: going through this is a high-stakes form of bullying, plain and simple.

  • This is about exercising a power dynamic, with the thin-veil of legitimacy that security operations provide. Your suffering is how the very worst get their rocks off.
  • Do exercise a strong self-defense and be prepared for these scenarios.
  • Do be prepared for retaliation when your preparedness suddenly makes an agent's job hard.
  • Do have a contingency plan that involves action by outsiders.
  • Don't rely on the ability to exercise your autonomy when in captivity; they will make sure that's rendered moot.
[–] [email protected] 8 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

As a law abiding citizen, I honestly wouldn't know what to do in this situation. I would probably provide whatever was asked and have my rights exploited by the customs officer.

Guess I should look this up before traveling abroad again.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 22 hours ago

Traveling to the USA, Russia, Turkey, China and North Korea.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago

Sleep deprivation is often used on people in such situations. Which is why what you are saying is so important: be prepared for it.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It is my promise that if I every have standing to sue for violation of my constitutional rights, any agents of law enforcement or the government involved will be married to my case for years. I will not let it go. I will not settle. I will be a fucking problem. You'll think of my name when you're lying in bed at night. If you're reading this right now on my phone that you confiscated for no justifiable legal cause, you've been warned.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 days ago (5 children)
[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

"Ohhhhhh, you actually believed all that freedom crap? Lol. Lmao. We've got about three thousand asterisks and terms and conditions apply on every part of the bill of rights."

They've so thoroughly built in so many shitty little backdoors into the constitution that it's basically just a joke that only rich people are in on at this point.

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[–] [email protected] 58 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I guess this is making America "great" right? This is how great nations treat their residents/visitors/citizens?

The story closely matches Hasan's, which leads me to believe it's accurate...

Ask yourself why they'd be collecting information about these peoples' political opinions. What do you think comes next?

[–] [email protected] 33 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

That's a fucking awful situation.

And unfortunately I might be in the same boat soon. I'm planning to visit family outside the country, and for the return flight I'm gonna be taking an old phone that I've cleaned of anything remotely useful for them as an excuse for their fascist bullshit. But I've left all the mundane bullshit that would be on a normal phone, text messages from siblings saying "food", cat pictures, random games, etc. So it won't look like a burner phone for the most part. So I can just give them the phone if they ask and it won't matter.

But I still need access to my shit, so I've set up my desktop at home for ssh with termux. I can see them using this an excuse as well, but it's probably the best I can get it without giving them potentially direct access to my password vault, messages, etc. I'm still debating if it is worth trying to remember my IP and port so there's even less for them to see.

If anybody's got better suggestions I'm open to them.

Oblgitory: fuck this fascist ass country

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I’m still debating if it is worth trying to remember my IP and port so there’s even less for them to see.

Treat confiscation of your devices like an attack. Any indications of where to attack next is a potential vulnerability, even if it's secured.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Is generating a long password that you can't remember and set it as a password for your device then save it inside some cloud service that you can login to later plausible?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe? If an attacker has unfettered access to your device, it's only a matter of time before they get in, provided they wish to expend the resources to do so. Especially if it's confiscated.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 hours ago

Disk encryption exists

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 days ago
[–] [email protected] 33 points 2 days ago (2 children)

And this is why standard practice now should be to have all devices turned completely off with all FaceID/ fingerprint unlocking features turned off before you enter any US customs hall. They cannot compel you to tell them your password, but they can use faceID to open your phone.

Also, after being detained, you only know one word and that word is “lawyer.”

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Saying "lawyer lawyer lawyer lawyer lawyer" does not get you a lawyer. Your language should be explicit and specific.

I am invoking my 5th and 6th amendment rights. I will remain silent until an attorney is present.

Then remain silent. Anything less can and will be twisted into you not invoking or even you waiving your rights. That actually happens.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 21 hours ago

See, for example, this case from Louisiana where the defendant said, "Why don't you just give me a lawyer, dawg," and the state Supreme Court found this to be an ambiguous request as there is no such thing as a "lawyer dog."

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Iirc they can compel you to provide passwords at the border. You have far fewer rights at the border than once in the country

[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago

They can "compel" whatever they want. It's amazing how quickly someone can forget their password when stressed out.

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[–] [email protected] 138 points 2 days ago (6 children)

NZ has a exercise caution advisory for USA......

I personally have a "don't risk it" advisory; especially if you are anything other than white.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago

I'm white, and I'm terrified of trying to come back to the United states. I'm never leaving unless I'm not coming back.

[–] [email protected] 55 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The white thing doesn't really apply anymore. A white immigrant family have been targeted by ICE. NO ONE is safe.

We are all in this together

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[–] [email protected] 56 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I WOULD say "call the police and report him missing" as this is absolutely the scenario for it, but.... well, that ain't actually gonna help for shit, is it?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

That is what she should've done as soon as he wasn't answering for an extended period of time. I'm not victim blaming, I'm just making sure everyone understands how important time is on missing persons. People get abducted at airports. It happens. There has been a lot of propaganda over the last few years (moreso back in 2020) about how we need to save our children that really over dramatized a lot of aspects of human trafficking, but it is still a very real thing that does happen and it does happen at airports as well. But even if it that wasn't the concern, when someone is missing report them as missing.

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[–] [email protected] 64 points 2 days ago

My wife's grandma passed away in her homeland and she can't even attend the funeral over this shit. She's got a green card and doesn't even have socials, but these assholes have ruined travel.

Except prices, interesting side effect when demand is so low, it's cheaper than it's been in a decade during peak season. Still don't recommend, but thought it a funny but sad observation.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 2 days ago (5 children)

So far, how many people have been held up by ICE? What's the percentage? it would be hilarious if they were having more issues entering USA than China or NK

[–] [email protected] 43 points 2 days ago

Every time I post this it's a fresh search. He's been in there for months now.

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