• Searches of cellphones, laptops by U.S. customs up more than 32% so far this year

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-23 08:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Public Safety, Immigration]

  Data obtained by CBC News shows that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers searched 52,080 electronic devices during the first three quarters of the 2026 fiscal year, representing a 32 percent increase over the 39,251 devices searched during the same period in 2025. Of the 2026 searches, 47,517 were basic searches conducted without reasonable suspicion, while 4,564 were advanced searches requiring reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity or national security concerns. The agency's revised January guidelines expanded device definitions to include SIM cards, GPS systems, unmanned aircraft systems, and vehicle infotainment systems, following a record 55,424 total searches in fiscal 2025.

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• They came to Canada for safety. Now they’re suspected of supporting the regime they fled

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-14 08:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Immigration, Public Safety, Justice]

  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issued Procedural Fairness Letters to hundreds of permanent residency applicants in August 2026, raising concerns over potential inadmissibility under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act due to past mandatory military service in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC was designated as a terrorist entity under Canada's Criminal Code in June 2024, prompting intense immigration scrutiny for former conscripts despite compulsory service requirements for all Iranian men over 18. Advocacy networks and immigration lawyers note that applicants face severe evidentiary burdens to prove they were not voluntary members or active participants following their mandatory service terms.

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