Judge Rules US Phone Seizure of Palestinian Activist Illegal

A US federal judge ruled this week that Customs and Border Protection officers illegally searched and seized the phones of Osama Abu Irshaid, the executive director of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), at Washington Dulles International Airport. Abu Irshaid experienced the searches upon returning from trips to the Middle East in 2024. The court determined the searches violated his Fourth Amendment rights, finding the government lacked reasonable suspicion to justify them.

The government cited a letter from the House Oversight Committee accusing AMP of supporting Hamas and a decade-old photo linked to the al-Qassam Brigades as justification. However, the judge dismissed these as insufficient, noting the congressional letter didn’t originate from law enforcement and the photo was previously deemed unremarkable during Abu Irshaid’s citizenship process.

Abbas, Abu Irshaid’s lawyer, revealed his client was placed on the “Terrorism Screening Database” for years, triggering increased scrutiny during travel. The ruling is expected to have broad implications for activists and advocates for Palestinian rights facing similar targeting.