Border AI Wall Puts Millions Under State Watch

More than one million people in the United States and Mexico live within view of A.I.-powered surveillance towers. At least four million more live near older cameras the government plans to retrofit with A.I. The Trump administration has secured more than $1 billion to build 1,500 new towers, aiming for full coverage along the U.S.-Mexico border. Plans also extend to areas near Canada, coastal regions and Puerto Rico.

The system reaches well beyond isolated stretches of border. In Sunland Park, N.M., near El Paso, a tower scans the border wall and large parts of the city. Its camera can capture detailed images from roughly two miles away. When radar detects significant movement, the camera turns and zooms toward the target; an A.I. model classifies it as a human, animal or vehicle and alerts Border Patrol agents at a command center.

A widening surveillance system

The towers form one of the federal government's largest visual-surveillance programs. C.B.P. says they aren't equipped with facial-recognition software, but their cameras and radar use A.I. to monitor surroundings around the clock. The broader border system also includes drones, license-plate readers, trail cameras, ground sensors and blimps. Officials are working to combine data from those sources on a single technology platform for agents.

C.B.P.'s privacy guidelines permit the agency to share surveillance footage with local, state and federal law-enforcement authorities, as well as foreign governments. The agency acknowledges that people near the border can't “opt out” and that people “engaged in First Amendment protected activities” or “complying with the law” could be recorded. People with direct knowledge of the program said C.B.P. can black out parts of camera feeds, but can remove those restrictions at any time. The agency didn't answer questions about where or how often it uses that feature.

The Government Accountability Office found gaps in oversight. An audit this year said C.B.P. had no basic master plan setting out the program’s cost, delivery timeline or measures of success. A 2024 audit found agency technology policies didn't address how towers would store and secure sensitive personal data. Officials also haven't provided information showing how often the towers help catch migrants or drug smugglers.

Contracts, claims and local objections

Anduril, an A.I. defense firm with close ties to Mr. Trump, builds most of the towers. It received contracts during Mr. Trump's first term and under President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Mr. Biden, like many Democrats, said he preferred a smart wall to a physical barrier. Since Mr. Trump's re-election, Anduril has secured more than $567 million in new C.B.P. contracts. Tower data sits on government servers, and contractors such as Anduril can access it with C.B.P. authorization to improve their models or monitor equipment. C.B.P. generally retains data for 30 days unless it's needed for law-enforcement purposes; officials have said data used to train A.I. systems “should not be deleted.”

Residents have voiced opposing views. “We don't want to be surveilled by our government,” said Gene Belmares, a Republican former city councilman from Laredo, Texas. He urged members of his party to imagine the towers under Democratic control. Eloisa Cavazos, 75, who lives near the Rio Grande, understood the need to watch the border and preferred the tower to the wall, but wished it had been placed farther away. “It can see when I leave, who I'm with, who's coming and going from our house,” she said. “It follows you.”

Some residents welcome the cameras. Eric Chapa, 40, of Laredo, said crossings near the athletic fields where he coaches youth soccer had slowed under Mr. Trump. “I hope it makes people think twice,” he said. At San Clemente, Calif., C.B.P. secured a lease for a tower on a hill about 70 miles from Mexico; city officials said it would prevent deaths after migrants drowned. Some residents and elected officials objected, and the agency said installation plans are on hold.

The Times located and analyzed 567 of roughly 830 towers it said were in operation, using aerial and satellite imagery, geospatial analysis and field reporting. C.B.P. doesn't publish tower locations or types and didn't provide the number in operation. The Times said its findings likely understate how many people live within view.