2) The article suggests backing up to the Google, MS, Apple etc cloud services before hitting the border. This is poor advice, especially for the at-risk. The process for being awarded a warrant to search these services is quite streamlined on US soil.

If you do not have the luxury of a self-hosted or community-run cloud, then it's saner to ZIP up crucial data and encrypt the archive. Then, upload that to your BigTech cloud of choice. 7zip, FossZIP and WinZip all use AES-256, strong encryption

3) Never say "I will not give you the password to this device", as that can be construed as obstructing an investigation and shift your legal outlook for the worse. Just request a lawyer and stay mute.

As a last resort, if held and with no legal counsel, you can lean on Plausible Deniability, but only if pressed. Say you don't remember setting a password, that you planned to reinstall the device, and that they can have it.

Do not fight them taking the device(s). Act like you don't care.

A good 'cloudless' fall back when crossing the border is to backup to an encrypted external SSD or even better a USB stick and stash it in your checked-in luggage. A stick can be hidden inside something else, overlooked if your baggage is searched. You can also encrypt a stick and put it in the post, to send it to your destination before you fly.

Another is to fly with a burner phone, faux social media, faux email account. Your daily driver laptop and phone are powered off in checked in luggage

I get it why not flying over oceans is sometimes not an option. Funeral, essential work thing, very sick relative.

But it's worth saying that the final and very best mitigating control for safety at the US border is just to not cross it at all. Don't go there.

The US should be considered hostile territory right now, especially for those vocal about human rights and environmental defense, not to mention those critical of the Trump administration.

Just one social media reckon can be enough.