S.T.O.P. Condemns Bringing Battlefield Surveillance To Border

S.T.O.P. condemns the Pentagon’s plans to deploy Stryker armored vehicles with powerful battlefield surveillance technology to the U.S.-Mexico border.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns Bringing Battlefield Surveillance To Border (New York, NY 3/26/2025) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemns the Pentagon’s plans to deploy Stryker armored vehicles with powerful battlefield surveillance technology to the U.S.-Mexico border. The deployment of the vehicles and hundreds of military troops is yet another escalation of President Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, which in recent weeks has also led to weekslong detentions of international tourists at U.S. borders. SEE: Politico - Troops to start surveillance at border https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/25/troops-take-on-new-surveillance-mission-at-border-00248420 AP News - Weekslong lockups of European tourists at US borders spark fears of traveling to America https://apnews.com/article/border-tourists-german-canadian-detention-immigration-408cd27338e8065268fabc835f8b0c34 "Trump is treating U.S. soil like a battlefield,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn.  "These weapons of war have no place in civil immigration enforcement. Legally, this is no different from giving the IRS a fleet of fighter jets. This is yet another misguided stunt from a President more interested in creating scary images for TV than actually fixing the immigration system. No one should have to worry that an Army APC is scanning their home or peering into their bedroom just because they live close to the border.” Last week, S.T.O.P. condemned the deportation of Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Rhode Island doctor and U.S. visa holder, to Lebanon after U.S. Customs and Border Protection searched through images in her cellphone’s deleted folder at Logan International Airport. In 2022, the civil rights group condemned former President Biden’s $1.5 billion “smart border” surveillance deal with former Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador as a “dumb idea.”  SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Deportation of Doctor to Lebanon After CBP Cellphone Search https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2025/3/17/stop-condemns-deportation-of-doctor-to-lebanon-after-cbp-cellphone-search Press release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Biden-Mexico ‘Smart Border’ Deal As ‘Dumb Idea’ https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/7/13/stop-condemns-biden-mexico-smart-border-deal-as-dumb-idea?rq=border The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.