A federal judge has ruled that the US government’s 2024 phone searches of Palestinian American Osama Abu Irshaid violated his Fourth Amendment rights of protection from unreasonable government searches and seizures.

Background

Irshaid, the executive director of American Muslims for Palestine, had his cell phone seized and searched by US Customs and Border Protection agents on two occasions at a US international airport in 2024.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) had sued on Irshaid’s behalf, alleging that the federal government had placed him on a watch list that the Muslim advocacy group called discriminatory and racist.

The government had claimed that it did not add people to any such list based on race, religion, and free speech activity.

Implications

Rights advocates have raised concerns about scrutiny against Americans of Middle Eastern descent and Arab and Palestinian backgrounds over their political views.

The ruling has been welcomed by CAIR, which had argued that the government’s actions were a violation of Irshaid’s constitutional rights.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.