The U.S. government-led crackdown on student protestors against the genocide in the Gaza Strip may be extending to checkpoints with exit controls at land-to-land border crossings. In recent weeks, reports have emerged of plans for new checkpoints near land exits from the U.S., as well as the implementation of programs that use photography and facial recognition technology to identify people attempting to leave the country.

The U.S.-Canada land border has been the point of exit for a large number of students who have had their immigration status revoked after their participation in pro-Palestinian protests on campus, according to lawyers who have worked on their cases. These lawyers told Drop Site that they believe the new measures may be aimed at targeting students who attempt to leave via that route in the future.

Lawyers who have advised students say that so far none have faced detention at the Canadian border when exiting the U.S. “There is a U.S. law that actually requires DHS to match entries and exits, so tracking the departure of the person from the US who is not a citizen is consistent with that statutory obligation. But using the border as a checkpoint for the detention of people based on their political opinions is an entirely different level of concern,” said Greg Nojeim