A recent report called on DHS to stop its border agents from searching electronic devices like laptops and smartphones of individuals entering the United States without reasonable suspicion of wrong doing; the study, released last week by the bipartisan legal think tank The Constitution Project, argued that computers and cell phones contain far too much personal information and searching these devices without probable cause violates privacy considerations; border patrol agents have routinely conducted searches of individuals and their belongings entering the country, it is only recently become a potential legal issue due to the vast amount of personal data that electronic devices can now hold

As the Mexican government’s battle against drug cartels rages on, U.S. businesses and their employees have become increasingly caught up in the crossfire, which has led many to reconsider investing in Mexico; a recent survey of U.S. companies by the U.S.— Mexico Chamber of Commerce found that only half were planning on moving ahead with investment plans in Mexico; U.S. companies and their workers have become increasingly caught up in the war as collateral damage as well as targets for kidnapping and extortion; in 2010 one out of ten companies reported kidnappings and 60 percent said that their employee had been beaten or threatened by the cartels

In South Carolina, a tough immigration law is making its way through the House, while similar bills stalled in Oklahoma and Tennessee; South Carolina’s House Judiciary Committee voted fifteen to seven to pass a bill that requires law enforcement officials to check the immigration status of individuals they encounter; the legislative session ends in two weeks, and the bill still needs to be approved by the full House; immigration bills in Oklahoma and Tennessee were tabled until next year

As security along the U.S.-Mexico border tightens, drug smugglers and other criminals are shifting their activities to the U.S. northern border; Alan Bersin, head of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), told a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing that the U.S. border with Canada sees far fewer detentions and arrests every year — there are about 445,000 arrests and detentions along the U.S.-Mexico border annually, while last year the U.S.-Canada border saw only 6,000 arrests and detentions — but is a “more significant threat” to American security than the Mexican border; the latest step in cross-border policing will see Canada send twenty-two radar feeds to CBP’s center in California that tracks non-commercial aircraft, with the goal of cracking down on narcotics smuggling by small planes flying low over the border to escape detection; the United States was also moving to deploy “military grade” radar along the northern U.S. border as soon as this fall

Last month DHS ended a controversial program that required immigrants to register with federal authorities if they came from Arab countries associated with terrorism; the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) required all males entering and exiting the United States that were above sixteen years of age to report to immigration officials for interviews and fingerprinting if they came from certain countries; NSEERS was specifically aimed at individuals hailing from twenty-five countries with ties to terrorism including Libya, Syria, and Yemen; officials say that the program did not lead to the capture of any terrorists

A special agent with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency was recently arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stealing government property and then selling it on eBay; the agent, Steven Kucan, was a resident of Wood Ridge, New Jersey and will appear in a federal court in Newark, New Jersey; Kucan reportedly sold approximately $37,000 worth of ICE property using an eBay account that was opened in the name of an elderly relative; stolen items include printer cartridges, camera lenses, film, combat lights for M-4 rifles, and even a special diving suit designed to prevent hypothermia in cold water

Under a new trial program, next month the government of Malaysia will begin scanning the fingerprints of all travellers entering and exiting the country to help combat international crime and terrorism; the program, dubbed the Biometric Fingerprint Security System, is aimed at reducing fraud from the current screening method which involves a security official matching a traveller’s face to their passport photo; 3 percent of the 24.4 million foreigners who visited Malaysia last year were involved in crimes; biometric scanners are currently being installed at sixty-one of Malaysia’s ninety-six ports of entry, and the trial program will begin 1 June

Arizona lawmakers, saying they have lost patience with what they regard as federal dithering over the issue of building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, announced plans to launch a Web site which will solicit private donations for the project; donors will receive certificates declaring that the individual has “helped build the Arizona wall”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the agency’s Trusted Traveler Programs have reached one million members; Trusted Traveler Programs include Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST