Judge Limits Customs Searches of Travelers

In a case inspired by complaints from citizens coming back from Nicaragua, a federal judge in Santa Ana ordered limits on the latitude of government searches of travelers returning to the United States.

The injunction, issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge J. Spencer Letts, prohibits Customs agents from keeping notes on travelers or copies of the published matter they bring with them, according to lawyer Barrett S. Litt.

The U.S. Customs Service, citing federal law, had regularly searched travelers for suspected treasonable and seditious publications, Litt said. Agents were known to focus particularly on people entering the country from nations considered unfriendly, he said.

Although there is no known instance of the government actually seizing printed matter as treasonable, it regularly held newspapers and books for study under the law, Litt said.