He dictates a code to the police that empties his phone

Arrested upon his return to the United States, an environmental activist tricked border agents who wanted to check the data on his phone.

An American political activist is accused by federal authorities of deliberately deleting data from his phone by making border patrol agents who were questioning him and wanted access to his device enter a secret code.

Samuel Tunick, who campaigned against the construction of a large police training center in the southeastern state of Georgia, has been charged with destruction of evidence upon arrival in the United States. The environmental activist has pleaded not guilty and faces up to five years in prison in this case, which could be unprecedented, according to US media.

Upon his return from the Dominican Republic in January 2025, Samuel Tunick was taken aside at Atlanta airport by border patrol and FBI agents who interrogated and searched him, according to court documents. His request for legal counsel was repeatedly denied. When agents asked him to unlock his smartphone, a Google Pixel, he reportedly provided a password that erased the device's data.

A police officer

“The screen went white, with flashes, and the phone appeared to restart,” said border police. Samuel Tunick’s lawyers argue that his constitutional rights were violated, including his Fourth Amendment rights, which are meant to protect him against unreasonable searches.

They argue that, even though the interrogation took place at an international airport, "the officers did not have the right to disregard all the constitutional protections afforded to Mr. Tunick simply because he was at the border." Their client was targeted because of his activism for an environmental organization, the lawyers further assert.

American courts have generally ruled in the past that such searches conducted at the border without a warrant are legal, but the jurisprudence is not unanimous. A preliminary hearing took place last week in Atlanta, but a trial date has not yet been set.