US Customs and Border Protection

The Associated Press reported on 21 November 2025, after interviews with eight former officials and review of court and government documents, that the Border Patrol's predictive intelligence programme uses networks of licence plate cameras and an algorithm that flags vehicles by where they came from, where they were going and their route. Federal agents may then alert local police, who often make the stops. The AP says the programme began about a decade ago and has expanded over the past five years, draws on DEA licence plate readers, private companies and locally run programmes funded by federal grants, and that some readers are hidden in traffic safety equipment. The AP says the Border Patrol's criteria include driving on backcountry roads, renting a car and making short trips to the border region, and that stops are often justified by minor traffic violations. CBP told the AP it uses licence plate readers to identify threats and disrupt criminal networks and that "for national security reasons, we do not detail the specific operational applications". The AP did not identify the algorithm's vendor. The AP reported on 24 November 2025 that Senators Ed Markey and Mark Warner and Representative Dan Goldman raised constitutional concerns, and on 11 February 2026 that researchers had found about 40 licence plate readers in San Diego and Imperial counties, more than two dozen hidden in construction barrels, with state permits showing applications by the Border Patrol and the DEA; that report gave no sign the programme had ended or changed.