Exclusive: Trump administration is pointing spy satellites at US border

Reuters ^ | 03/29/2025 | Marisa Taylor and Jeffrey Dastin

[SeekAndFind]

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - 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. Reuters could not determine whether the effort, which has not been previously reported, would gather imagery of U.S. territory.

Asked by Reuters about their roles in border surveillance, the NGA said it had created a task force to coordinate its "support to the U.S. border mission," while the NRO said it was partnering with the intelligence community and Pentagon "to secure U.S. borders."

Their participation is in response to sweeping executive actions by Trump aimed at stopping unauthorized border trafficking and crossings, as well as deporting those in the United States illegally – estimated to be up to 14 million people.

The White House and Defense Department did not respond to a request for comment. Trump made immigration enforcement a central part of his campaign that catapulted him to the presidency on Jan. 20.

While the government has deployed artificial intelligence and drone surveillance at the border for years, the latest initiative seeks to expand the use of military capabilities generally built for conflict overseas.

The government could use AI to identify objects or persons of interest by sifting through satellite images and other data feeds, much like the Defense Department can do on the battlefield, said two sources familiar with the initiative.

[Paladin2]

Smash the Mexican Cartels.

[toddausauras]

Thanks for ratting the admin out reuters. Isn’t this sabotage to tell the cartels?

[toddausauras]

Then again, maybe the admin wants it known.

[bitt]

p

[iamgalt]

No one should be surprised at this including the cartels. The globalist scumbags at Reuters may think are ratting out Trump but it is no surprise.

[wildcard_redneck]

How in innovative! Some genius actually thought of using our $ trillion military resources to actually protect America s instead of Israel, the NATO dwarves, and every other sponging country.

[wildcard_redneck]

How in innovative! Some genius actually thought of using our $ trillion military resources to actually protect America s instead of Israel, the NATO dwarves, and every other sponging country.

[Gaffer]

Better there than Ukaine

[toddausauras]

True, but putting a fine point on it and announcing it is questionable.

[madison10]

Agree.

[dagunk]

ELINT from aircraft, optics from satellites.

Tasking a satellite is Expensive, ELINT can find likely spots to look at, then play tourist and get pics.

Broad sweep, then fine tune. Work your way up from there.

Not surprised.

[lightman]

Why, for the past four years, have we been more concerned about the Uke’s borders than our own?

[ckilmer]

because both were needed to preserve the power of the democrat party—or so the democrats believed.

but they are not far wrong.

trump is on track to remove only a fraction of the many million illegals who entered the country.

all those newcomers are the future of the democrat party,

[higgmeister]

Exclusive: Trump administration is pointing spy satellites at US border

This is stupid.   Why would anyone think our nation would not look at our national border from a surveillance satellite?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Go President Trump!! MAGA!! What an incredible list of accomplishments on the border!

1. Cartels are declared as terrorist organizations.
2. Possible Naval destroyers in the Gulf of America and in the Pacific off the Mexico/USA border are rumored. Official DOD statements only confirm “enhanced maritime patrols” by the Coast Guard and Navy since February 2025. No destroyer deployment’s been detailed.
3. Miles of concertina wire on the wall in CA.
4. Troop deployments along the border working with CBP: 1,500 active-duty troops + 2,500 National Guard on the border. Possibly 10,000 total if approved
5. Reactivating the "Roosevelt Reservation" on the border.
6. Stryker armored units rolling into Texas border zones since early March, tied to USNORTHCOM’s “seal the border” directive.
7. Spy satellites watching the border.
8. Invoking the National Emergencies Act. Unlocks military funds and powers to fund the wall and troops. Congress approved $175 billion over four years. [remember the troubles Trump 45 had getting a few billion to start the wall?]
9. Labeled the border situation an “invasion” under Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution, effectively closing the border to asylum seekers.
10. Instructed DHS, DOJ, and the State Department to “repel, repatriate, or remove” illegal aliens.
11. Reinstated the Migrant Protection Protocols (Remain in Mexico).
12. Repurposed the execrable Biden "CBP One" to "CBP Home" and added an “Intent to Depart” feature, allowing undocumented immigrants to signal their voluntary exit from the U.S. "Self-deport or bust" is part of a $200 million ad blitz.
13. Cancelled tens of thousands of scheduled migrant screenings at the border.
14. Canceled thousands of asylum appointments.
15. Seven new miles of wall in Arizona.

This is what America First looks like! Take THAT, leftist scum.

But, we know legal battles loom, especially on asylum bans and internal military use.

[Tammy8]

It is not a secret, they have strikers with their surveillance and other ground technology here and a TV reporter has been doing nightly stories about that. I don’t agree with them telling all this either but pretty sure the cartels know anyway, shouldn’t be a surprise to them to know they are being watched by satellites.

I am glad we are treating the border like a combat zone. I do think at some point the cartels will do something real stupid. They went from being encouraged to have a wide open business that made them all a fortune many times over to basically zero now in comparison. I will be real shocked if they don’t try to somehow fight back.

[Celtic Conservative]

It’s an invasion. They are merely treating it as such.

CC

[Tammy8]

It is not a secret, they have strikers with their surveillance and other ground technology here and a TV reporter has been doing nightly stories about that. I don’t agree with them telling all this either but pretty sure the cartels know anyway, shouldn’t be a surprise to them to know they are being watched by satellites.

I am glad we are treating the border like a combat zone. I do think at some point the cartels will do something real stupid. They went from being encouraged to have a wide open business that made them all a fortune many times over to basically zero now in comparison. I will be real shocked if they don’t try to somehow fight back.

[Celtic Conservative]

This has the hallmarks of being a “stage whisper”.

CC