DHS wants a fleet of AI-equipped surveillance trucks
US Ministry The Homeland Security Administration is looking to develop a new mobile surveillance platform that combines artificial intelligence, radar, high-powered cameras and wireless networks into a single system, according to federal contract records reviewed by WIRED. The technology will be installed on 4×4 vehicles capable of reaching remote areas and becoming autonomous watchtowers, extending the scope of border surveillance far beyond its current fixed sites.
The proposed system came to light Friday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection quietly released a pre-request notice for what’s called the Modular Mobile Surveillance System, or M2S2. This list includes draft technical documents, data requirements, and design goals.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment.
If the M2S2 works as described, Border Patrol agents can park their vehicles, raise a telescopic mast, and within minutes begin detecting movement several miles away. The system relies heavily on computer vision, a form of “artificial intelligence” that allows machines to interpret visual data frame by frame and recognize shapes, heat signatures and movement patterns. Such algorithms – previously developed for use in combat drones – are trained on thousands or millions of images to distinguish between people, animals and vehicles.
The development of M2S2 comes amid a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigrants across the United States by the Trump administration. As part of the push, which has sparked widespread protests and condemnation of the brutal tactics used by immigration officials, Congress increased DHS’s discretionary funding authority to about $65 billion. The GOP’s “big beautiful bill” would allocate more than $160 billion for immigration enforcement and border measures — most of which would go to DHS — with the funding planned to be spread over several years. The administration has sought to increase DHS funding by nearly 65 percent, proposing the largest expansion in the agency’s history to fund new border enforcement, detention capacity and immigration enforcement initiatives.
According to documents reviewed by WIRED, the locations of objects targeted by the system are pinpointed on digital maps within 250 feet of their actual location (with a target pull of about 50 feet) and transmitted through an app called TAK — a tactical mapping platform built by the U.S. Department of Defense to help soldiers coordinate fire movements and avoid fire.
DHS envisions two modes of operation: one with an agent on site and one where the trucks sit mostly unattended. In the second mode, AI monitors the vehicle and sends alerts to remote operators if activity is detected. Missions must be recorded from start to finish, with video, maps and sensor data retained for at least 15 days and locked against deletion “under any circumstances.”
