ADC Secures Return of Attorney’s Phone, Vows to Continue Constitutional Fight Against Warrantless Border Searches

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 12, 2026
[email protected]

Washington, D.C. | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) secured the return of Miami-based attorney Jalal “Jay” Shehadeh’s phone following an emergency motion filed in federal court in the District of New Jersey challenging its seizure by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Newark Liberty International Airport. On September 17, CBP officers detained Shehadeh for approximately four hours upon his return from a visit to his family in Palestine, and seized his phone despite his repeated refusal to consent to a search. Shehadeh warned officers that the device contained sensitive personal information and privileged attorney-client communications involving active legal cases. On September 26, ADC filed a time-sensitive federal motion requesting the immediate return of the phones.

“We have won this battle, but the war isn’t over,” said ADC President and Legal Director, Jenin Younes. “We are routinely receiving reports from Americans whose phones have been seized by CBP officers at the border. Many of these individuals are Palestinian or active in advocating for Palestinian human rights, and a disproportionate percentage appear to be journalists and attorneys. That indicates that the government is targeting people based on their viewpoints and constitutionally protected political activity, implicating First Amendment and Fourth Amendment concerns. ADC will challenge these unconstitutional practices and ensure that the government cannot use the border as an excuse to target those it perceives as its enemies.”

This victory follows ADC’s successful effort in July to recover two phones seized from journalist Max Blumenthal at Dulles International Airport after he returned from a reporting trip to Iran. Although the government returned his devices shortly after ADC filed an emergency motion, the judge in the Eastern District of Virginia agreed that Blumenthal was entitled to know what authorities had done with the phones while in their possession. ADC subsequently filed a federal lawsuit challenging the seizure and attempted forensic search under the First and Fourth Amendments.

The return of these phones is not the end of either case, nor does it resolve the broader constitutional crisis. Americans deserve to know whether their devices were searched, whether private information was copied or retained, and what safeguards exist to prevent similar abuses in the future. The government must be held accountable for its actions, not merely compelled to return property after violating the rights of its owners.

ADC is also participating in taking this fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, filing an amicus curiae brief on Blumenthal’s behalf in Anibowei v. Blanche. The brief urges the Court to resolve conflicting federal appellate standards and establish clear nationwide constitutional protections against warrantless electronic-device searches at the border.

To learn more about ADC’s legal challenges, visit adc.org/legal.