The Trump administration is proposing to ask visitors from several dozen nations that enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S. to submit additional personal information before entering the country, including five years of their social media history, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice this week.
Citizens of 42 countries enrolled in the visa waiver program can generally come to the U.S. for up to 90 days for tourism or business travel, without needing to apply for a visa at an American embassy or consulate, a process that can take months or even years.
The list of countries in the visa waiver program includes many European nations like the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as some U.S. allies around the world, including Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
I know people who have had to give them the phone. It doesn’t happen every time, it doesn’t happen to everyone, it doesn’t happen often, but it definitely does happen, and from what I understand, they can refuse you entry if you do not. I’m not in a position to say how common or widespread it is, but there are enough anecdotal stories to convince me it’s probably decently widespread, albeit occasional and possibly targeted. Like you said though, no one knows what they’ll do anymore, maybe just shoot you in the face. And that’s kind of the point. They want that environment of uncertainty and not knowing when the bullet is going to come for you.