Border Patrol Bets on Small Drones to Expand US Surveillance Reach

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US Customs and Border Protection is quietly doubling down on a surveillance strategy built around human-portable drones, according to federal contracting records reviewed by WIRED. The shift is pushing border enforcement toward a distributed system that can track activity in real time and, critics warn, may extend well beyond the border.

New market research conducted this month shows that, rather than relying on larger, centralized drone platforms, CBP is concentrating on lightweight uncrewed aircraft that can be launched quickly by small teams, remain operational under environmental stress, and relay surveillance data directly to frontline units. The documents emphasize portability, fast setup, and integration with equipment already used by border patrol.

Those requirements build on earlier inquiries that show CBP steadily locking in its operational priorities: drones capable of detecting movement in remote terrain, rapidly cueing agents with coordinates, and functioning reliably in heat, dust, and high winds. Past requests highlighted the integration of cameras, infrared sensors, and mapping software to help agents locate and intercept targeted people across deserts, rivers, and coastal corridors.

CBP previously zeroed in on vertical-takeoff and -landing drones small enough to be carried and launched by individual teams, while setting clear benchmarks for flight time, deployment speed, and performance in austere environments. The requests also made clear that these systems were meant to do more than observe. They were expected to actively guide operations, piping live location data into the same digital tools agents use to coordinate responses in the field.

This month’s update sharpens that approach, signaling that CBP is no longer merely exploring what drones can do but refining what it wants them to do well: deploy fast, survive longer, and deliver actionable intel directly to human agents. CBP currently operates a small-drone fleet of roughly 500 uncrewed systems, according to the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, underscoring that these aircraft have become a routine part of border enforcement.

At a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in December, Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem told lawmakers that DHS has been “investing upwards to $1.5 billion” in drone and counter-drone technology and “mitigation measures” that can be used not only for federally secured special events, such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but also through agreements that let DHS “partner with cities and states” on protection they “don’t currently have.”

The growing emphasis on small, unit-level drones does not mean CBP is abandoning larger aircraft, however, despite years of scrutiny over the agency’s reliance on military-grade systems.

Federal watchdogs have previously found that the agency’s Predator drone program was costly to operate and poorly evaluated, with no clear evidence that it produced proportional enforcement gains. Even so, the agency announced plans this month to modify an existing contract to raise the ceiling for purchasing up to 11 MQ-9 uncrewed aircraft systems. Unlike short-range tactical drones, the MQ-9 can reportedly remain aloft for more than 27 hours at altitudes approaching 50,000 feet, surveying vast areas with multi-sensor payloads.

That mix of high-endurance aircraft and short-range systems reflects a broader shift in CBP’s surveillance planning. As WIRED has previously reported, the agency is pursuing complementary platforms, including AI-enabled mobile surveillance trucks equipped with cameras, radar, and automated detection software. Designed to move rather than remain fixed, the trucks can be positioned in remote areas and left to operate unattended, extending monitoring beyond the reach of fixed towers and established patrol routes.

Former acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf, who served during the first Trump administration, outlined a similar logic in May, describing what he called “dock-based drone technology” as part of a broader push to automate border monitoring. In an op-ed, Wolf argued that fixed or semi-fixed launch points would allow drones to deploy rapidly when sensors flag suspicious behavior, keeping aircraft on standby so agents can confirm activity without assembling a launch team.

Agency planning documents reflect that approach, envisioning small drones operating as airborne supplements to ground-based systems, filling gaps when truck-mounted sensors or fixed installations lose visual coverage. In those cases, drones launched from nearby sites could maintain tracking beyond line of sight, over terrain, through vegetation, or along waterways, while relaying imagery and location data into the digital maps used to coordinate response.

The result is a surveillance architecture designed to adapt as conditions change, combining mobile ground sensors, aerial tracking, and automated detection into a single framework that reduces—rather than replaces—the role of human operators.

CBP’s drone operations, however, are not limited to the border. Flight logs and public records show that the agency has repeatedly deployed uncrewed aircraft in support of other federal missions, including aerial monitoring during protests and assistance with interior immigration enforcement. That overlap has intensified concerns that tools developed for border control can migrate quickly into domestic policing.

Human-rights groups argue that expanding aerial surveillance does not simply deter crossings, but reshapes them. Studies of technology-driven border enforcement have found that as sensors and aircraft proliferate, migrants are pushed into more remote and dangerous routes—raising the risk of injury or death without necessarily reducing the overall number of attempts.