- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to nearly triple surveillance towers along U.S. borders from 830 to 2,300 by 2034, costing $1 billion.
- The expansion, funded by the 2025 'One Big Beautiful Act,' includes AI-based autonomous towers with radar, thermal, and optical systems that surveil towns, schools, and backyards.
- Additional surveillance technologies like drones, aerostats, ground sensors, and license plate readers also threaten privacy in border communities.
- Since 2022, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has mapped and documented these technologies through public records and open-source intelligence.
- EFF provides tools such as an interactive map, a zine, and legal support to defend against device searches, biometric collection, and digital security risks.
- EFF vows to continue investigating and fighting the expansion of surveillance that endangers human rights and civil liberties.