DHS Claimed It Searched GrapheneOS Phone Wiper for Child Abuse Material. It Lied

Court records and images of an airport alert show Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)/JTTF flagged Samuel Tunick, a Stop Cop City activist, as under investigation for suspected terrorist activities before his January 2025 arrival in Atlanta. Despite that internal warning, Customs and Border Protection officers told Tunick they needed his phone to look for child sexual abuse material; he later provided a code that wiped his GrapheneOS device. He is now federally charged under an obscure statute for destroying digital contents to impair the government’s custody, a rarely used offense that carries up to five years’ imprisonment. Tunick’s legal team points out the unusual nature of the charge and that he is not otherwise suspected of crimes beyond the alleged wiping.

The new filings contend CBP used allegations of “kiddie porn” as a pretext for a broader search tied to counterterrorism, and an officer admitted there was no basis to believe Tunick possessed child pornography. Lawyers argue the interrogation and retention of devices were a fishing expedition and seek suppression of evidence; they frame the prosecution as part of wider scrutiny of Stop Cop City protesters and a warning against asserting privacy protections. Tunick says the charges aim to intimidate people who protect their data.