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Hello to all the folks from not-shithole countries (remember that term? Seems almost civil and demure now) – Strange times are these that you’re facing immigration issues as you visit other not-shithole countries. I had hoped we would achieve equality in our experiences with us #POC folks unlocking the not-shithole experience, but it seems like you’re being downgraded to the shithole experience instead. Balance finds a way!
After a lifetime of #TravellingWhileBrown, I’ve got some immigration tips for you
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#Immigration Tip 1: Give them nothing
Think of the most chirpy upbeat person you know and channel their energy – Greet the immigration official, smile, but *give them nothing* when you answer questions, responding only to their core question without a single extraneous detail.
How do you work for?
I work for a public health organisation
I work for a public health organisation in Kenya
What is the purpose of your visit? Just travelling around in a few states Just travelling around in a few states, using WWOOF and workaway to volunteer.
Extraneous details get you additional questions. If you’re a natural conversationalist or you’ve put in the work to improve your conversation skills, you might be trained to include additional details as a way for others to engage in conversation with you/ask follow-up questions about, but don’t.
#Immigration Tip 2: Expect coercion
Debating the legality of immigration officials accessing your devices might be fun as a thought exercise, but just assume they’ll want to unlock your phone and take measures not to make it easy for them.
If you normally unlock your phone with fingerprint or face scan (why?), turn it off as you approach the immigration queue (ideally as your plane is descending, just so you don’t forget) and switch to a password-based login, with a password that’s at least eight characters long.
With fingerprint or face scan unlock, all it takes for them to get in is to grab your phone and a single moment of physical force (holding your head and holding the phone up to your face, or grabbing a finger and pressing it to the device) to unlock your device. If it’s password-protected however, they might hand your phone back to you and they’ll need you to cooperate which, if things are going south (Gee, the #GlobalSouth can’t catch a break, even in language!), might buy you an opportunity to send a quick message to loved ones (helps to have it drafted 
) as you type in the password and hand the phone back to them.
#Immigration Tip 3: Be...multifaceted
On Android (and I believe iPhones as well?), you can set up multiple “user profiles”, akin to a second user with its own login and apps. Set up a second user, install a few apps, maybe even have a few conversations with others to “flesh it out”.
As you approach the immigration queue, switch to the second user profile.
You had to reset your phone recently, which is why you don’t have a lot of apps installed. No, you don’t have any other user or phone. And if somehow the second user is found, you “don’t remember the password to access that”.
#Immigration Bonus Tip: Malicious compliance
If you speak multiple languages, change your device interface language to something other than English. They might compel you to unlock your phone under threat of deportation, but you don’t have to make it easy for them to access its content.
If you're travelling to the US, as I did over the weekend, the EFF's "digital privacy at the border" is a scary but useful read
https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017
IMO that document boils down to knowing your red lines - If an official orders you to unlock your phone, are you willing to do it even if its legality is unclear?
My position was that I would allow access to my travel user profile but not my real one, even under threat of device confiscation or deportation.
Samsung only has that feature active on it's tablets but unreachable on phones.