U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Tuesday that the $46.5 billion allocated under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” President Donald Trump signed into law last year is already paying off, funding new surveillance technology, aircraft and autonomous towers that are helping agents distinguish real threats from false alarms along the border.
Scott made the comments during a policy event in Washington, D.C., alongside Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle.
“So the border itself: I think everybody knows we got like $46.5 billion to build a smart border wall. People hear the term ‘wall’ all the time. They forget we infused a bunch of technology into that so we can expand the areas that our agents are covering. We also got increased money for technology on the border itself,” Scott said.
He described a rollout of autonomous towers equipped with artificial intelligence designed to reduce false alarms that previously forced agents to physically investigate every triggered sensor.
“We’re rolling out autonomous towers. They have a bunch of AI built in so that it reduces false responses. [Previously,] a sensor went off, [and] an agent would have to respond and figure out what it is. Now, through a bunch of AI, we have some different radar systems — it’s really improving the ability where agents can get right on their phone, they can see what the sensor was, they can decide if it’s some hiker, somebody out riding a horse, or if it’s actual criminal activity,” Scott said. “So, it saves thousands and thousands of man-hours.”
The commissioner said the funding is also expanding air and marine capabilities, ranging from small helicopters and agent-carried drones to MQ-9 surveillance aircraft, which he compared to military-style Predator drones with advanced surveillance packages capable of long flight times.
“In the air and the marine environment, we do have quite the ‘Air Force’ — everything from small light helicopters to go out and respond quickly, to now-agent-portable drones, if you will, where they take them out with them, and it’ll provide overwatch,” Scott said. “But we also have the MQ-9s. Most people are used to that as more of like the predator, military-style, that have a very impressive surveillance package on those as well. Those can stay up long hours. We have fixed-wing down in Florida.”
Scott emphasized that the spending is coordinated across the Department of Homeland Security rather than handled by CBP alone, including partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, to avoid duplication and maximize taxpayer value.
“But, I want everybody to understand, this isn’t just CBP going out and buying a bunch of technology. All of our investments we coordinate across the DHS with Coast Guard,” Scott said. “So we’re making sure we deconflict our deployment areas. We match up resources where we can so that we’re giving Americans the best return on that tax dollar that they can possibly get with the entire mission being: just know and control what comes into this country, consistent with law.”
Tuesday’s event also included a discussion with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on border security, public safety and American sovereignty, and was held in partnership with CGCN and the ALFA Institute.
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