U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been flying its Predator B drones, also commonly referred to by their military variant designation of MQ-9 Reapers, over Los Angeles as part of the U.S. government’s response to the unrest there, the agency confirmed to us on Wednesday. The flights are in response to protests that escalated to violence on multiple occasions, following a massive operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last Friday.
Persistent aerial surveillance like this has long been controversial, with civil rights advocates saying it violates the right to privacy and undermines the Constitution. At the same time, the fact that a drone is doing it largely evokes a uniquely upsetting response. While using the Predator Bs over urban locales is rare, it’s not unprecedented, and manned platforms do this kind of work every day across the country.
CBP’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) “MQ-9 Predators are supporting our federal law enforcement partners in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with aerial support of their operations,” spokesman John Mennell told us Wednesday afternoon in response to our query earlier this week. “Additionally, they are providing officer safety surveillance when requested by officers. AMO is not engaged in the surveillance of First Amendment activities.”
CBP had been mum about the issue for days, even though open-source reporting on social media had already presented compelling evidence of the drones’ orbits. On June 9, user @Aeroscout on X posted air traffic control (ATC) audio stating that two “Q-9s” – call signs TROY 703 and TROY 701, had passed each other in airspace over Yuma, Arizona, as one was replacing the other over Los Angeles. @Aeroscout had previously posted ATC audio of TROY 701 checking in on Los Angeles Center Sector 09. A short time later, Alaska Flight 1020 was given a traffic advisory for “drone traffic.”
While there has not yet been any explicit identification of the “Q-9s” as CBP Predator Bs, TROY is a known Department of Homeland Security (DHS) callsign. TROY 314, a CBP Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft (MEA) based on the Beechcraft King Air 350ER twin-engine turboprop, and a CBP Black Hawk helicopter using the callsign TROY 212, were also tracked over Los Angeles this weekend.
Furthermore, plane trackers using online software first began noticing aircraft flying hexagonal patterns over Los Angeles on Sunday. Though not always the case, this is indicative of CBP Predator B surveillance patterns observed in the past. This includes the use of one of the CBP Q-9s over Minneapolis back in 2020.
CBP has MQ-9s at three locations: the National Air Security Operations Centers in Sierra Vista, Arizona (located on Fort Huachuca), San Angelo in Texas, and Grand Forks in North Dakota.
What specific version or versions of the CBP Predator B have been flying over Los Angeles is unclear. The TROY 701 callsign was tied to a particular tail number, CBP-113, back in April, but it is not clear if that same drone has been using the callsign in the past few days.
CBP-113 is what CBP has referred to in the past as a Guardian Maritime Mission version of the Q-9, which features a Raytheon SeaVue multi-mode radar under the central fuselage, and includes surface search and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery modes. SAR images are highly detailed maps of the surface below, which can be produced day or night, despite any cloud cover, smoke, or dust. Guardian Maritime Mission drones also have electro-optical and infrared full-motion video cameras in a turret under the nose, as well as data links capable of sending imagery and radar tracks back to control stations on the ground in near real-time.
CBP’s Predator B fleet, which consists of around eight drones, includes at least two other versions. There are baseline types that feature the same sensor turret as the Guardian Maritime Mission versions, but with a smaller Lynx SAR-capable radar rather than the more powerful SeaVue. It is also worth noting here that these drones, as well as CBP Predator B in general, are sometimes confusingly referred to as Predator Bs. This is a holdover from manufacturer General Atomics’ original nomenclature for the drone, which evolved from the iconic MQ-1 Predator A. One of these Predator Bs was identified as the type that flew over Minneapolis in 2020.
CBP also has a variant that blends features of the other two types. All CBP Predator Bs are unarmed, but can carry additional podded sensors under their wings.
The drones are part of a much larger response to the ongoing unrest, as protesters clashed with law enforcement who appeared to use tear gas and fired non-lethal rounds toward some groups of demonstrators. Some rioters pelted the LA police with rocks.
Responding to President Donald Trump’s directives, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) on Monday said it was activating a Marine infantry battalion that was placed in an alert status over the weekend.
“Approximately 700 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division will seamlessly integrate with the Title 10 forces under Task Force 51 who are protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area,” the command said in a statement.
The activation of the Marines “is intended to provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency,” the statement continued.
Task Force 51 “is U.S. Army North’s Contingency Command Post, which provides a rapidly deployable capability to partner with civil authorities and DoD entities in response to Homeland Defense and Homeland Security Operations. It is commanded by Maj. Gen. Scott M. Sherman.”
Task Force 51 is comprised of approximately 2,100 National Guard soldiers in a Title 10 status and 700 active-duty Marines. “Task Force 51 forces have been trained in de-escalation, crowd control, and standing rules for the use of force,” NORTHCOM explained.
The activation of Marines follows a directive Trump issued Saturday, invoking a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
He said he had authorized the deployment of 2,000 members of the National Guard, The Associated Press reported.
CNN reported that as of Wednesday, the 700 Marines mobilized by the Pentagon had not yet been sent to Los Angeles and are still training, according to Sherman.
“Meanwhile, approximately 2,000 National Guard troops are currently on active duty and helping ICE agents during demonstrations, Sherman said,” according to the network. “An additional 2,000 Guard members will be ready for duty Thursday afternoon, Sherman added.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has decried Trump’s response, as you can see in the following video posted by CBS News.
There is precedent for the use of these unarmed surveillance assets to watch over large demonstrations. As we reported at the time, and noted earlier in this piece, a Predator B orbited around Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May 2020 as the city saw increasingly violent protests in response to the killing of resident George Floyd while he was being arrested by members of the Minneapolis Police Department.
The use of persistent aerial surveillance for law enforcement purposes has long been a controversial topic. Civil liberties advocates say these and other mass surveillance activities violate rights to personal privacy and undermine constitutional protections against unlawful searches.
On Wednesday, CBP attempted to address those concerns.
“AMO does not possess or use facial recognition technology on any of its aircraft,” the agency said. “AMO does not own or have access to any facial recognition algorithms or software.”
In addition, “on-board cameras cannot provide enough resolution or detail to identify a person (that is to discern physical characteristics such as height, weight, eye color, hairstyle, or a facial image), or to discern a vehicle license plate number,” CBP further explained. “These cameras can be used to discern rough details such as clothing color, the presence of a backpack, or in some cases whether an individual is carrying an unconcealed weapon that may pose a threat.”
Still, the use of these drones over areas of civil unrest is almost certain to further fuel that debate. With protests against the Trump administration’s immigration actions spreading to other cities, we will likely see the use of these and other aerial surveillance assets employed elsewhere, as well.
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