Trump Now Has US Satellites Watching The Border, And Beyond

Protecting the border, Taking on the Narcos. First, President Trump deployed thousands of active-duty troops to gain operational control of the border with Mexico. Then he designated Mexican drug cartels and Latin American criminal gangs ‘Foreign Terrorist Organizations’ (FTOs).

Then we heard of multiple agencies from the CIA to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) being used to monitor those drug cartels along the border, and reportedly, with Mexico’s permission, inside Mexico.

This was followed by reports of the Trump team planning to federalize a strip of land along part of the Arizona border, to formally make it a US military installation allowing troops to detain illegal border crossers until law enforcement arrives, just as if they were illegally entering any US military base.

Finally, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth diverted two Navy guided missile destroyers from combat duties in the Middle East, and elsewhere, to patrol the waters near the US -Mexico border, adding far more offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as sensors, that the Coast Guard alone can provide.

All these steps show that the administration is not only sealing our southern border against illegal entry, but the Trump team is also seriously preparing to engage the powerful terrorist drug cartels kinetically as well as in other ways.

In an annual threat assessment released Tuesday, the US intelligence community (IC) ranked transnational criminals such as drug-trafficking organizations among top national security threats –above those posed by North Korea, Iran and other foreign adversaries.

But if these prior signals weren’t enough, Trump’s latest move should do it.

As Newsmax reports:

The Trump administration has directed two intelligence agencies to train their satellite surveillance capabilities on the U.S.-Mexico border region as part of a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration and drug cartels.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which are part of the Department of Defense, oversee spy satellites and analyze imagery for the Pentagon and other intelligence organizations.

Their engagement, coupled with troop deployments, shows increasing militarization of the southern border, where President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency.

As part of this added surveillance effort, the government is also deploying enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) and drone surveillance, expanding the use of military capabilities generally built for conflict overseas.

This AI could be used to identify objects, or persons, of interest by rapidly sifting through massive batches of satellite images and other data feeds, much like the military is now doing on the battlefield.,

Special software also could connect sensor towers to satellite and drone video feeds showing at-risk areas, and then AI could flag these as leads.

The goal, say experts, is to create a “digital wall” to augment the border’s physical one.

In some ways, this Trump effort is similar to one done in the UK.

Last year the British Home Office announced nearly $20 million investment on satellites to track illegal migrants attempting to cross the Channel from space.

As The Sun reported:

The Luton-based branch of Telespazio UK will provide enhanced surveillance for the Joint Maritime Security Centre which ensures the country can respond to “threats to security, law and order, and the marine environment”.

It will improve the Home Office’s ability to detect “dark targets” – which do not emit tracking data – such as ships used by criminals to smuggle goods, and tiny dinghies used by Channel migrants.

Radar, hi-tech cameras and sensors have already been hired to provide 24/7 surveillance of those trying to cross the Channel in small boats.

The Sun added:

The aims of the new surveillance are listed as: “To identify vessels of interest (VOI) (especially dark targets), determine patterns of life (POL) and to enable cueing of other sensor capabilities and patrolling assets, to direct other capability/assets to the target VOI in order to undertake further surveillance or to intercept, therefore delivery of agreed products/analysis should be as near to real-time as is possible.”

While the US effort has a maritime component, it will likely be more focused on land. Either way, new corporate players are excited to jump into the fray and provide support.

Newsmax notes: “In recent months, Palantir, Anduril, Elon Musk’s SpaceX and other newer contractors have discussed a consortium to jointly bid for U.S. defense deals and outcompete the Beltway’s legacy players.”

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