Uncovering a surveillance camera network along California's border

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - On a cracked two-lane road on the eastern edge of San Diego County, James Cordero eased his Jeep onto the shoulder after spotting what looked like an abandoned trailer.

Inside, he said, he found a hidden camera feeding a vast surveillance network that logs the license plates of drivers passing through a remote stretch of backcountry between San Diego and the Arizona state line.

Cordero, 44, said he has since found dozens of similar cameras hidden in trailers and construction barrels on border roads in San Diego and Imperial counties — including along Old Highway 80 near Jacumba Hot Springs, outside the Golden Acorn Casino in Campo and along Interstate 8 toward In-Ko-Pah Gorge.

ALPR cameras raising concerns

The cameras began appearing after California granted permits to the Border Patrol and other federal agencies to place automated license plate readers, known as ALPRs, on state highways in the final months of the Biden administration. As many as 40 devices are now feeding information into databases used by the Trump administration as California’s Democratic leaders clash with federal officials over immigration enforcement.

The devices have raised concerns among privacy experts, civil liberties advocates and humanitarian aid workers, who argue California should not support what they describe as an intrusive data-collection program that conflicts with state law. Supporters say the cameras help law enforcement quickly identify people suspected of serious crimes, detect drug and human trafficking patterns and locate missing people.

"If you’re not doing anything illegal, why worry about it?" said Allen Stanks, 70, a longtime Jacumba resident. "Everyone is talking about privacy. OK. Stop putting everything on Facebook."

Some residents suspect the cameras may be linked to encounters with officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In one case, a grandmother who is a lawful permanent resident was questioned about why she visited a casino, according to her grandson.

Cordero, who volunteers with the nonprofit Al Otro Lado, said he fears the surveillance could target humanitarian workers who leave water, food and clothing for migrants in remote desert areas.

"I’m not so much worried about myself, but I’m worried about a lot of our volunteers that come out," Cordero said. "I don’t want them to have to deal with any of the nonsense of being tracked or being pulled over and questioned."

During the first Trump administration, federal officials prosecuted volunteers from the humanitarian group No More Deaths for leaving supplies in the Arizona desert. Some convictions were later overturned.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection provides limited public information about its use of license plate readers. A 2020 report from the Department of Homeland Security describes the technology broadly but does not specify where it is deployed. CalMatters said it contacted Border Patrol and Homeland Security officials for comment but did not receive a response.

The report states that some readers capture license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, state of registration, camera owner and type, GPS coordinates and the date and time of capture. The images may also include drivers, passengers and surrounding environments. It adds that federal agencies can access data from commercial license plate reader vendors.

Mapping hidden cameras

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based digital rights group, and a coalition of 30 organizations sent a letter this month to Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Transportation urging them to revoke state permits and remove license plate readers operated by federal agencies such as Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The group said it mapped more than 40 hidden license plate readers in Southern California, most along border highways. It contends the devices bypass a 2016 California law that regulates how state and local law enforcement agencies use ALPRs.

"By allowing Border Patrol and the DEA to put license plate readers along the border, they’re essentially bypassing the protections under California law," said Dave Maass, director of investigations for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Maass said the program primarily collects data on residents in the region, not just suspected smugglers or cartel members.

He said it is unclear which agency installed each camera but noted that the models match devices the Border Patrol has purchased in large quantities. Records obtained from Caltrans by the foundation show federal agencies requested permits to install similar devices in other parts of San Diego County.

Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Caltrans approves permits

In a written statement to CalMatters, Caltrans said it has approved eight permits for federal agencies, including Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration, to install license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way.

"Caltrans does not operate, manage, or determine the specific use of technology or equipment installed by permit holders, nor does it have access to any of the collected data," the statement said.

The agency said federal immigration authorities have not requested permits for new cameras since June 2024. Between 2015 and 2024, Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration submitted 14 applications for law enforcement surveillance devices. Eight were approved, four were canceled and two did not result in projects in state rights-of-way, Caltrans said.

License plate data in California is also collected by schools and private businesses, including some retailers and shopping malls. While those entities may not share data directly with federal immigration authorities, local police departments with access to the systems can.

State law prohibits local and state agencies from sharing license plate data with out-of-state entities, including federal agencies involved in immigration enforcement. A June 2025 CalMatters investigation found that sheriff’s departments in San Diego and Orange counties shared ALPR data with federal agencies in violation of state law.

Newsom vetoed a bill last fall that would have strengthened California’s license plate reader law. Two days later, Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the city of El Cajon for alleged violations of the state’s data-sharing restrictions. Since 2024, the attorney general’s office has sent letters to 18 law enforcement agencies regarding potential violations.

Records obtained by Oakland Privacy researcher Mike Katz-Lacabe show that the San Pablo Police Department shared license plate data with Border Patrol as recently as last month.

‘Pulling over grandma’

An investigation by the Associated Press published in November reported that Border Patrol concealed license plate readers in ordinary traffic safety equipment. The data was fed into a predictive intelligence program monitoring millions of drivers nationwide to flag travel patterns deemed suspicious.

Sergio Ojeda, a community organizer with Imperial Valley Equity and Justice, said his grandmother was questioned by agents about how much time she spent at local casinos when she crossed the border.

"She was outraged about it," Ojeda said. His grandmother, a legal resident of Imperial Valley, asked agents why her casino visits were suspicious.

Ojeda said living near the border often feels like constant surveillance.

"Driving around, I joke with my co-workers: ‘Which chapter of 1984 is this?’" he said.

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