> My mindset has always been to never give my personal phone for an inspection
Get a burner phone! Upload your entire data to the cloud as well. Either you can store your phone in the check-in luggage or restore your data once you've arrived at your US location.
So what happens if you just put your phone in the check-in luggage and say you don't have a phone?
> So what happens if you just put your phone in the check-in luggage and say you don't have a phone?
Carry a cheap burner phone with you, then.
Related: KPMG, Deloitte Ask Staff to Use Burner Phones for overseas travel -> https://archive.is/lml0L
Don't lie. If you are caught, very nasty things can happen to you.
Or even better, don't go there in the first place. This is madness. How are you just normalising this?