The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has expanded its deployment of artificial intelligence-powered surveillance towers along the southern border, incorporating technology designed to monitor immigration and drug trafficking activities. More than one million residents in the United States and Mexico now live in areas covered by these A.I.-enabled towers, with plans to expand coverage to the entire U.S.-Mexico border and beyond, including near Canada, coastal regions, and Puerto Rico.

The program involves over 350 A.I. towers, many located in Texas, including both remote regions where migrants often attempt border crossings and urban centers such as Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. Some of these towers have extended-range capabilities, with one near McAllen reportedly able to monitor activity over seven miles and observe approximately 16,000 residents. A tower near a church in Mission, Texas, has also drawn attention.

Local residents express mixed views about the presence of these towers. For example, 75-year-old Ms. Cavazos, who lives near one in Mission, acknowledged the necessity of border monitoring and preferred the tower to a physical wall but wished it had been sited further from population centers. She noted that the tower’s tracking feels invasive, saying it “follows you.”

In contrast, Eric Chapa, a youth soccer coach in Laredo, supports the surveillance, citing a previously risky environment due to frequent river crossings by migrants and drug traffickers during the Biden administration. He reported that crossings slowed under the Trump administration and hopes the towers serve as a deterrent going forward.

Others such as Antonio Nuñez from Sunland Park describe the towers as becoming part of everyday life, with residents growing accustomed to constant surveillance. As the program proceeds, the installation of towers is not limited to border towns but is moving into areas considered farther from the border. For instance, a tower was installed at Del Mar Beach in California in 2021 to monitor boat traffic suspected of carrying migrants and drugs.

CBP has also sought to place a tower on a hill overlooking the city of San Clemente, California, about 70 miles north of the Mexican border. While city officials see the tower as a safety measure intended to prevent migrant drownings, the proposal met resistance from residents and local officials, leading to a halt in the project. San Clemente Councilman Steve Knobloch, who supports the installation, emphasized the pervasive nature of video surveillance today, stating that border security concerns outweigh privacy issues.

The expansion of these towers underscores an ongoing debate between national security priorities and community privacy concerns, as authorities balance technological tools aimed at border enforcement with the impact on residents living near or within the monitored zones.