Secret surveillance network springs up in San Diego

 A vast surveillance network is recording every driver passing through a stretch of road between San Diego and the Arizona state line.

Dozens of cameras were discovered hidden in trailers and construction barrels on boarder roads according to CalMatters.

The secretive move started after California granted permits to the Border Patrol and other federal agencies allowing the placement of license plate readers on state highways in the last months of the Biden administration.

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A vast surveillance network is recording every driver passing through a stretch of road between San Diego and the Arizona state line.Getty Images

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Dozens of cameras were discovered hidden in trailers – like the one above from NDI Recognition Systems – and construction barrels on boarder roads according to CalMatters.

Now as many as 40 such devices are feeding information to Trump administration databases as the Democratic-led state grapples with the federal government’s deportation program.

The devices have been found on Old Highway 80 near Jacumba Hot Springs, outside the Golden Acorn Casino in Campo and along Interstate 8 toward In-Ko-Pah Gorge. 

Privacy experts are sounding the alarming, telling CalMatters that California should not be supporting a data-collection program they view as unwarranted government overreach. They argue the program is in conflict with state law.

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The devices have been found on Old Highway 80 near Jacumba Hot Springs, outside the Golden Acorn Casino in Campo and along Interstate 8 toward In-Ko-Pah Gorge. Getty Images
However, supporters of the devices say they allow law enforcement to quickly identify and locate suspects of serious crimes and locate missing persons.“If you’re not doing anything illegal, why worry about it?” long-time Jacumba resident Allen Stanks told CalMatters.   

“Everyone is talking about privacy, OK. Stop putting everything on Facebook. ‘Here’s a picture of my food.’ Who cares?” said Stanks.  

There’s little information about these license plate readers from Border Patrol, with a small mention about the technology on its website. In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security issued a report that describes the technology in general, but doesn’t specify where it’s being used.

There are ongoing efforts to have the network shut down. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and a coalition of 30 organizations sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month urging the state permits be revoked and the covert readers removed.

https://nypost.com/2026/02/27/us-news/border-patrol-license-plate-readers-appear-in-san-diego-county/