Kevin Cohen, CEO and co-founder of a Tel Aviv-based startup real eyeI opened my computer and prepared to deploy tools that I believe will make America's borders more secure.
The screen is filled with photos of people young and old of all ethnicities, genders, and backgrounds. “We're essentially aggregating information from hundreds of thousands of sources online. This means that we're not only categorizing someone as a potential danger or threat, but also that they're connected to various nefarious networks. It's also to show the potential for infiltration,” Cohen said. “If you target 50,000 individuals, you can provide insights and metrics about their behavior literally within seconds.”
RealEye has developed two AI-driven platforms: Masad and Fortress. These provide real-time scrutiny and “semi-active” surveillance capabilities for immigrants entering the country, legally or illegally, with a history of illegal or suspicious activity. These tools leverage not only criminal records (which can be as innocuous as a traffic violation), but also digital footprints left on social media and the dark web.
When Cohen pulls up the profile of a man named Joseph, the man's history is immediately displayed in a bulleted list. “We can see that this particular individual is funneling money to Hamas and other operatives,” Cohen said. “We know this guy is no good.”
In just a few days, Donald Trump will be inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States. He said his priority on the first day was “the largest deportation operation in American history” and vowed “no price tag.” President Trump's plan to secure the southern border includes everything from a proposal for a hotline center for citizens to report information about illegal immigration to the construction of a massive facility. Immigration detention center It is located on 1,402 acres along the Rio Grande River. President Trump also said he intends to continue construction of a 30-foot-tall fence across the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, he is considering declaring illegal immigration a national emergency and freeing up funds. border wall construction.
In December, President Trump even filed a court brief supporting a legal effort to block the Biden administration's sale of border wall materials. A court order halted Biden's efforts. A more emboldened Trump is likely to reconsider plans he considered during his first term, such as floating barriers, which he briefly tested in the final year of his term. In 2023, Texas Governor Greg Abbott adopted the idea and built a 1,000-foot-tall spherical buoy in a section of the Rio Grande. The Biden administration tried to block the floating barrier, arguing that it violated the federal Rivers and Harbors Act, but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last summer that the floating barrier could remain in place.
In addition to these physical barrier strategies, artificial intelligence-based strategies like those found at RealEye will be a big part of both securing the southern border and Trump's deportation strategy. The Department of Homeland Security has already been allocated $5 million in the 2025 budget to open an AI office, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called AI “innovative technology” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who donated $1 million to President Trump's inaugural fund, predicted that President Trump “will lead our country into the age of AI.”
Another AI company gearing up for a busy year is Babovna AIa Ukrainian startup that has developed an autonomous drone equipped with AI. Drones have been used at the U.S. border since 2005, but Mexican cartels are increasingly sabotaging them. With GPS jammer. But Babovna's drone has already been combat tested in the Ukraine-Russia war — Can traverse complex terrain without the use of GPS or visual odometry, thus avoiding detection.
Like RealEye's Cohen, Vavovna co-founder and director Pramax Prasolov said other than to say that he is “looking for opportunities to support border security operations” regarding the relationship with the incoming administration. is keeping his mouth shut. But on Christmas Eve, Prasolov hosted a special demonstration flight test in Tampa, Florida, whose guests included senior officials from the Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force.
“These UAVs are not just surveillance tools, but solutions for maintaining operational superiority in conflict environments,” Prasolov said. He says it's only a matter of time before “electronic warfare” becomes “essential to securing America's borders.”
AI is not new to borders. During President Biden's term, Democrats promoted “Smart border” technology It's a kind of virtual tower that promises a more “humane” alternative to President Trump's border wall. And last fall, the bipartisan Emerging and Innovative Border Technologies Act passed the House of Representatives, requiring DHS to consider how best to use them. AI, machine learning, and nanotechnology in border security programs.
The Trump administration clearly agrees with that. They “plan to increase the use of AI surveillance systems along the border,” N said. And Trump is trying to remove the safety bumper. Biden signed presidential order By 2023, the company vows to develop AI that is “safe, secure, and reliable.” Trump promised disable it when he took office.
Plans are already in place to improve existing AI. Offering $101 million Upgrade and maintain watchtowers. “These towers… detect and identify unauthorized crosswalks and distinguish between humans, animals, and vehicles,” Sahota said. “Under the Trump administration, this effort is expected to expand radically, turning his promise of a physical wall into a digital wall.” Indeed, Customs and Border Protection plans to complete the network. is being established. of over 1,000 watchtowers By 2034.
There are also plans for the full implementation of “robodogs,” which were first unveiled by DHS. in 2022. These four-legged, military-grade machines were developed by a Philadelphia-based company. ghost robotics“It is designed to navigate difficult terrain, including man-made environments such as sand, rocks and steps, making it well-suited to the diverse landscapes encountered along the border,” Sahota said. It's still being tested by DHS, but President Trump is enthusiastic enough about the technology to have at least one robodog patrol Mar-a-Lago.
There were concerns that dogs could be used as weapons, especially after the introduction of sniper rifles in some models. The last company to try something similar, tech startup Blink, faced going public. 2021 backlash On top of a drone equipped with a taser gun that they manufactured. However, Ghost Robotics CEO Gavin Kennelly was adamant: 2023 House Oversight Committee That their technology would only be used for patrolling, not violence. (Ghost Robotics did not respond to a request for comment.)
Some of the other AI being introduced is less dystopian, but no less complex. For example, RealEye's vetting system goes beyond existing DHS strategies that primarily focus on biometric indexes. Cohen said this is not enough to stop bad actors, such as terrorists and cartel members, from abusing the immigration system and entering the United States illegally. “All it takes is someone's fingerprints, and that's it,” said Cohen, who said his company works with intelligence agencies in Israel, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan. “We cannot trace their digital presence…[to gauge] who are these people in front They came into the country. ”
Machine learning technology is also much better at identifying patterns and anomalies that Border Patrol agents might miss. Overwhelmed by Biden-era immigration surge Current staffing shortages have been labeled “unsustainable” by a 2023 DHS report. “Some AI systems can…analyze communication intercepts in multiple languages to identify potential security threats,” Sahota said. “AI can also identify unusual travel patterns near borders… or flag irregular travel itineraries for further investigation.”
Although many of these tools are still in field testing, there are already success stories. In 2023, AI models have identified: unusual travel pattern When police investigated a crash involving a truck that regularly crosses the U.S.-Mexico border, they found 75 kilograms of drugs hidden inside the vehicle.
But the rise of AI in border security is not reassuring to everyone. Sahota calls it a double-edged sword. “AI has great potential to streamline operations and secure borders, but its misuse, intentional or not, can have dangerous consequences,” he said. Masu. “There is a slippery slope where AI could become weaponized, eroding civil liberties, invading privacy, and fostering systemic bias. Scaling could turn these tools into large-scale surveillance and control mechanisms.”
Immigration attorney Marina Sheperski, CEO and co-founder of New York-based Shepelski Law Group, worries that AI screening may have built-in bias. “They can scrutinize and disavow people who criticized Trump,” she says. “Or anyone who has ever posted religious Islamic ideas or posted 'communist' ideas on social media.”
But Cohen thinks fears that AI could be misused are misplaced. “The 'special interest aliens' we're chasing are technically felons,” he says. “We're not targeting individuals who are just trying to be the breadwinner for their family or build a better life.” For Cohen, making life difficult for immigrants with criminal intentions is extremely It's personal. As a teenager, his family briefly moved from Israel to Florida, where they lived next door to Mohamed Atta, who would go on to mastermind the September 11 attacks.
“I've never stopped thinking about it,” he says. “That's why we do things like this to keep players like him…from entering the country. We have to find more creative ways to make sure everyone who comes to us is who they say they are.”
