U.S. Press Freedom Tracker

Incident Database

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42 incidents recorded

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Incident
Incident Details
Category Details

Rolling Stone journalist stopped for secondary screening, has electronics searched while asked invasive questions about reporting

Incident Details

Date of Incident
May 13, 2019
Location
Austin, Texas
Targets
Seth Harp (Rolling Stone)

Border Stop

Border Point →
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Stopped at border? →
Yes
Target Nationality →
US Citizenship Status of Target →
U.S. citizen
Denied Entry? →
No
Stopped Previously? →
Yes
Asked for device access? →
Yes
Asked to display social media? →
Unknown
Asked for social media passwords? →
Unknown
Asked intrusive questions about work? →
Yes
Were devices searched or seized? →
Yes
Search Warrant Obtained →
No

Journalist stopped at the border for the third time, questioned about his work and FOIA request

Incident Details

Date of Incident
February 16, 2019
Location
Miami, Florida
Targets
Manuel Rapalo

Border Stop

Border Point →
Miami International Airport
Stopped at border? →
Yes
US Citizenship Status of Target →
U.S. citizen
Denied Entry? →
No
Stopped Previously? →
No
Asked for device access? →
No
Asked to display social media? →
No
Asked for social media passwords? →
No
Asked intrusive questions about work? →
Yes
Were devices searched or seized? →
No

BuzzFeed News reporter aggressively questioned about reporting at passport checkpoint

Incident Details

Date of Incident
February 3, 2019
Location
New York, New York
Targets
David Mack (BuzzFeed News)

Border Stop

Border Point →
John F. Kennedy International Airport
Stopped at border? →
Yes
Target Nationality →
US Citizenship Status of Target →
U.S. permanent resident (green card)
Denied Entry? →
No
Stopped Previously? →
No
Asked for device access? →
No
Asked to display social media? →
No
Asked for social media passwords? →
No
Asked intrusive questions about work? →
Yes
Were devices searched or seized? →
No

Journalist stopped at the border for the second time, camera searched

Incident Details

Date of Incident
January 26, 2019
Location
Washington, District of Columbia
Targets
Manuel Rapalo

Border Stop

Border Point →
Washington, D.C.
Stopped at border? →
Yes
Target Nationality →
US Citizenship Status of Target →
U.S. citizen
Denied Entry? →
No
Stopped Previously? →
Yes
Asked for device access? →
Yes
Asked to display social media? →
No
Asked for social media passwords? →
No
Asked intrusive questions about work? →
Yes
Were devices searched or seized? →
Yes
Search Warrant Obtained →
No

Photojournalist questioned by CBP in Detroit after being denied entry to Mexico

Incident Details

Date of Incident
January 18, 2019
Location
Detroit, Michigan
Case number
1:19-cv-06570
Targets
Kitra Cahana (Freelance)
Case Status
Ongoing
Type of case
Civil

Border Stop

Border Point →
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Stopped at border? →
No
Target Nationality →
US Citizenship Status of Target →
U.S. citizen
Denied Entry? →
No
Stopped Previously? →
Yes
Asked for device access? →
No
Asked to display social media? →
No
Asked for social media passwords? →
No
Asked intrusive questions about work? →
Yes
Were devices searched or seized? →
No

Journalist denied entry into Mexico found on government’s secret database

Incident Details

Updated On
November 20, 2019
Date of Incident
January 17, 2019
Location
Montreal, Canada
Case number
1:19-cv-06570
Targets
Kitra Cahana (Freelance)
Case Status
Ongoing
Type of case
Civil

Border Stop

Border Point →
Montréal–Trudeau International Airport
Stopped at border? →
No
Target Nationality →
US Citizenship Status of Target →
U.S. citizen
Denied Entry? →
No
Stopped Previously? →
No
Asked for device access? →
No
Asked to display social media? →
No
Asked for social media passwords? →
No
Asked intrusive questions about work? →
Yes
Were devices searched or seized? →
No

Independent filmmaker stopped for second time while crossing U.S.-Mexico border, car and phone searched

Incident Details

Date of Incident
January 6, 2019
Location
San Diego, California
Targets
Anonymous documentary journalist 2

Border Stop

Border Point →
San Ysidro Port of Entry
Stopped at border? →
Yes
Denied Entry? →
No
Stopped Previously? →
Yes
Asked for device access? →
Yes
Asked to display social media? →
No
Asked for social media passwords? →
No
Asked intrusive questions about work? →
Yes
Were devices searched or seized? →
Yes
Search Warrant Obtained →
No

Journalist stopped at the US-Mexico border, questioned about immigration reporting

Incident Details

Date of Incident
January 5, 2019
Location
Washington, District of Columbia
Targets
Manuel Rapalo

Border Stop

Border Point →
Washington, D.C.
Stopped at border? →
Yes
US Citizenship Status of Target →
U.S. citizen
Denied Entry? →
No
Stopped Previously? →
No
Asked for device access? →
No
Asked to display social media? →
No
Asked for social media passwords? →
No
Asked intrusive questions about work? →
Yes
Were devices searched or seized? →
No
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