Donald Trump’s reign of terror is leaving everyone in fear, even immigration attorneys themselves. The aggressive deportation that the government has been carrying out across the country has put travellers at unease. Here’s why a Colorado-based immigration attorney said he carries a burner phone when he travels.
Jeff Joseph, who is a 53-year-old attorney, revealed his reasoning behind being extra careful while travelling abroad after Trump took office. Joseph shared that he now makes sure to leave his cellphone behind at home before making his way to the airport.
The Colorado attorney has now started practising carrying a “burner” phone along on his air travels. Carrying the burner phone is his way to make sure the U.S. Customs officers do not have access to his contacts or communications.
He explained that his motive behind it is to avoid being sent in for a second inspection by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer. The officers are also authorized to seize electronics from any passenger they deem necessary, which is a scenario the immigration attorney wants to avoid.
According to The Atlantic report, Joseph also addressed the “risks of crossing U.S. borders” after Trump was elected President. The attorney emphasized how his paranoia is backed by his knowledge of immigration law. The Colorado attorney notes how the same has left with “less confidence” when it comes to crossing the US borders.
BREAKING: Trump announces he is considering going to Springfield, Ohio and Aurora, Colorado.
“We’re going to get these people out. We’re going to have the largest deportation in the history of our country and we’re going to start with Springfield and Aurora.” pic.twitter.com/U5T8CeAUBR
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) September 13, 2024
“Among immigration lawyers who are well-versed in this, and who know what happens in secondary, there’s a level of anxiety and panic that we’ve never seen before,” Joseph noted in the same interview.
There has been widespread discussion on various social media about the same. Travellers are expressing their anxiety about their summer travel plans. Netizens are even advising each other to make sure to delete their social media apps from their phones prior to their travel plans.
One more tip being passed on is to turn off their facial recognition feature on their phone. Doing so would make it more difficult for officers to access the information on your phone.
America supports mass deportations! pic.twitter.com/o5Mx1bbE8l
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) April 27, 2025
The paranoia amongst travellers spread after Trump’s suggestion to make airport screening stricter than it is. Staying true to his promise, the President is on his carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants across the country.
Several cases of unfair immigration have been observed in America over the past few months. A New Hampshire resident who is a German citizen was taken into custody as soon as he arrived on American soil in March. The German national was then jailed for a marijuana charge that dated back more than a year. The individual who was arrested at the Logan Airport in Boston is now awaiting deportation.
