Immigration Advocate Sues After Border Agents Seize Phone at Miami Airport

Thomas Kennedy, a writer and immigration advocate with dual Argentine-American ties, sued the federal government after a Customs and Border Protection officer at Miami International Airport inspected his bags, questioned his reading material and demanded his mobile device. Kennedy recounts that the agent warned a refusal would extend the interrogation and could lead to indefinite retention of the phone, leaving him no realistic option but to hand it over.

The device was held for about 45 minutes, a period Kennedy says was used to copy data from it. He was released without any charges and is now asking the court to compel the government to erase any information taken. Kennedy’s activism includes collaboration with the Florida Immigration Coalition, Amnesty International and the Community Justice Project, and he suspects his immigration work made him a target. The complaint, spanning seven pages, details the alleged threats and the lack of subsequent legal action against him.