DHS wants a fleet of AI-powered surveillance trucks

US Ministry The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to develop a new mobile surveillance platform that integrates artificial intelligence, radar, high-power cameras and wireless networks into a single system, according to federal contracting records reviewed by WIRED. The technology will be installed on four-wheel drive vehicles capable of reaching remote areas and transforming into rolling, autonomous surveillance towers, expanding the scope of border surveillance beyond its current fixed locations.

The proposed system surfaced Friday after U.S. Customs and Border Protection quietly published a pre-request notice for what it calls the Modular Mobile Surveillance System, or M2S2. The list includes draft technical documents, data requirements, and design objectives.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

If the M2S2 performed as described, Border Patrol agents could stop their vehicles, raise a telescoping mast, and within minutes begin detecting movement several miles away. The system will rely heavily on so-called computer vision, a type of “artificial intelligence” that allows machines to interpret visual data frame by frame and detect shapes, thermal signatures and movement patterns. Such algorithms, previously developed for use in military drones, are trained on thousands if not millions of images to differentiate between people, animals and vehicles.

The development of M2S2 comes amid the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on illegal immigrants across the United States. As part of this campaign, which sparked widespread protests and condemnations of brutal tactics used by immigration authorities, Congress enhanced the Department of Homeland Security’s discretionary budget authority to nearly $65 billion. The GOP’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” allocates more than $160 billion to immigration enforcement and border procedures — most of it directed to the Department of Homeland Security — and the money is scheduled to be distributed over several years. The administration has sought to increase DHS funding by nearly 65% ​​and has proposed the largest expansion in the agency’s history to fund new initiatives for border enforcement, detention capacity, and immigration control.

According to documents reviewed by WIRED, target objects will be located by the system on digital maps within 250 feet of their actual location (with an extended target of about 50 feet) and transmit that data via an app called TAK, a government-created tactical mapping platform developed by the US Department of Defense to help troops coordinate movements and avoid friendly fire.

DHS envisions two modes of operation: one with an agent on site and another where the trucks sit mostly unattended. In the latter case, the vehicle’s on-board AI will conduct monitoring and send alerts to remote operators when it detects activity. Missions must be recorded from start to finish, with video, maps and sensor data retained for a minimum of 15 days, and secured against deletion “under any circumstances.”