Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed Thursday that it has deployed surveillance drones over ongoing protests in Los Angeles. The drones in use are MQ-9 Predators, which can conduct high-altitude surveillance.
CBP stated that the drones were being used to assist federal law enforcement agencies in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with aerial support during their operations. ICE has conducted raids and arrests, especially under the Trump administration, which have sparked protests in the city.
However, CBP emphasized that its air and marine operations were not specifically targeting First Amendment activities but were providing “officer safety surveillance” when requested by law enforcement personnel.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared footage on X (formerly Twitter) showing drone surveillance of the protests, with CBP’s air and marine operations watermark visible on the video. The video included zoomed-in footage of protesters in the streets.
This confirmation of drone surveillance follows reports that an LAPD helicopter also surveilled protesters, with a message over loudspeaker stating, “I have all of you on camera. I’m going to come to your house.”
The use of drones for protest surveillance is not new. In 2020, DHS deployed drones over at least 15 U.S. cities during protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd. These drones accumulated more than 270 hours of surveillance footage. Additionally, during the same protests, the LAPD made requests to Amazon for Ring doorbell footage, specifically seeking videos of the demonstrations.
