Privacy groups to Newsom: get rid of hidden surveillance cameras on SoCal highways

Privacy groups demand California take action

More than 30 privacy and advocacy groups want California to pull the plug on hidden surveillance cameras along the state’s southern highways.

The coalition sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Caltrans Director Dina El-Tawansy on Feb. 10, demanding the state revoke permits and remove license plate readers that federal agencies placed along roads in San Diego and Imperial counties.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Imperial Valley Equity & Justice led the effort, with groups like the ACLU, the California Nurses Association, and several chapters of the Japanese American Citizens League signing on.

Cameras hide inside construction barrels

The devices look like something you’d drive right past.

EFF researchers found more than 40 hidden license plate readers along Southern California highways, and over two dozen sat inside yellow construction barrels.

These cameras capture every license plate that passes by and attach a timestamp and GPS location to each one. Drivers have no way to tell the difference between a real barrel and one watching them.

An algorithm decides who looks suspicious

All that data flows into a Border Patrol program that monitors millions of American drivers across the country.

An algorithm flags vehicles based on where they started, where they’re headed, and which route they took.

Agents look for patterns like short trips to the border region, which they say could signal smuggling. When the system flags a plate, federal agents can tip off local police.

Drivers then get pulled over for something like speeding, never knowing a federal program triggered the stop.

AP investigation exposed the program

An Associated Press investigation published in November 2025 pulled back the curtain on the surveillance effort.

Reporters interviewed eight former government officials, dozens of other sources, and reviewed thousands of pages of court and government records.

The AP found that Border Patrol actively tried to hide the program, avoiding any mention of it in court filings and police reports.

Former officials told the AP the agency even dropped cases rather than reveal how the system works.

Court records show how drivers get swept up

Two California cases show what this looks like on the ground.

In 2024, a Border Patrol agent pulled over a driver near Oceanside after data showed it took six hours to cover about 50 miles from the Mexican border.

The agent wrote in a court filing that such delays are “a common tactic used in smuggling.”

In a 2023 case, agents detained a woman at an internal checkpoint because she took an indirect route between Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Both drivers faced smuggling accusations.

Federal agencies worked around state privacy laws

California has laws meant to limit exactly this kind of surveillance.

SB 34, passed in 2015, blocks state and local agencies from sharing license plate data with federal agencies. SB 54, the California Values Act, limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

But the coalition says federal agencies sidestepped both laws by installing their own cameras on state roads.

Caltrans records from a public records request confirm that both Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the DEA applied for permits to place readers on state highways. The DEA shares its plate data with Border Patrol.

Newsom vetoed an oversight bill last fall

In October 2025, Newsom vetoed SB 274, a bill that would have required regular data purges and audits of how police use license plate readers.

Newsom said in his veto message that the restrictions could slow down criminal investigations, including cold cases.

That veto came as reports grew that California law enforcement agencies had already broken existing state rules on sharing plate reader data. The coalition’s letter now puts pressure on Newsom to act through executive authority instead.

The program spans both parties and a decade

This isn’t new, and it didn’t start with one administration.

Border Patrol’s predictive intelligence program began about a decade ago to fight border-related crime and has grown significantly over the past five years. Administrations from both parties oversaw it.

A Department of Homeland Security policy document shows CBP got authorization to run a domestic plate reader program in 2017. The agency said hidden readers would be temporary, but in border regions, they became permanent.

New federal law adds billions for surveillance

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, gave border surveillance a big funding boost. Cameras sit near major cities including Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Houston.

The law included about $2.7 billion for border surveillance technology and roughly $450 million for Operation Stonegarden, a grant program that helps local police buy plate readers and other equipment.

CBP’s camera network now stretches across the southern border in Texas, Arizona, and California, and also watches drivers near the Canadian border.

Legal experts question Fourth Amendment issues

Courts have generally allowed the collection of license plate data on public roads. But legal scholars say a mass digital surveillance network could raise new constitutional questions.

After the AP investigation, Sen. Ed Markey called the program an “invasive surveillance network” and raised concerns that it may violate the Constitution.

Rep. Dan Goldman questioned how tracking millions of Americans based on an algorithm, rather than warrants or evidence, fits with the Fourth Amendment.

CBP defends its use of the technology

CBP says it uses license plate readers to identify threats and disrupt criminal networks. The agency says federal law and constitutional protections govern its use of the technology.

CBP says it mostly operates within 100 miles of the border but is legally allowed to work anywhere in the country. The DEA declined to discuss its tools publicly.

Newsom’s office did not respond to the coalition’s letter, and a Caltrans spokesperson said the state focuses on public safety and privacy.

Coalition pushes for full transparency

The groups want the governor to investigate and publicly release every permit the state has issued to federal agencies for plate readers.

They want every permit revoked and all devices pulled from state highways. Going forward, they say California should refuse new permits to Border Patrol, CBP, or the DEA for plate readers or tactical checkpoints.

EFF published an interactive map showing the locations of all 40-plus hidden devices. The coalition also flagged the reported return of Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino to the El Centro sector as a reason to move fast.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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