🔍📡 Trump’s Tax Bill Funds $6B Expansion of Border Surveillance Technologies
🪖🚧 Border Marines Now ‘Operational’ in Arizona to Support Southern Border Security🗳️📉 Trump’s Texas Redistricting Push Aims for 5 GOP Seats, Democrats Scramble for Response
🔍📡 Trump’s Tax Bill Funds $6B Expansion of Border Surveillance Technologies
Johana Bhuiyan, The Guardian.- President Donald Trump’s newly signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) allocates over $6 billion to expand surveillance infrastructure along the US-Mexico border, according to a report by Just Futures Law. The funding will significantly enhance biometric systems, surveillance towers, and data collection tools used by DHS, ICE, and CBP. Companies like Palantir, Anduril, and GEO Group stand to benefit from contracts tied to biometric identification, facial recognition, social media surveillance, and centralized databases that combine IRS, Social Security, and immigration data. Critics argue that this expansion isn’t about safety, but about consolidating federal power, raising privacy concerns. Despite claims that border crossings are at historic lows, ICE and CBP are pushing ahead with new contracts for towers, license plate readers, and social media monitoring tools. Civil liberties groups warn of the risks this unprecedented data centralization poses to American privacy.
📌 Key Facts
Bill: One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) provides DHS with $165B over 4 years.
Border Tech: $6B+ for surveillance towers, biometrics, facial recognition, and databases.
Contracts: Palantir (ImmigrationOS), Anduril (surveillance towers), Clearview AI, LexisNexis, Sentrillion, Fivecast Onyx.
Scope: 900+ surveillance towers planned by 2026; increased biometric screening at border entries.
🪖🚧 Border Marines Now ‘Operational’ in Arizona to Support Southern Border Security
Billal Rahman, Newsweek.- Five hundred Marines and sailors from Camp Pendleton have been deployed to southern Arizona under President Trump’s January executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border. Operating as Task Force Forge within Joint Task Force–Southern Border, these Marines will focus on logistics, engineering, and surveillance support in conjunction with Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This deployment brings the total number of troops stationed along the border, including active-duty soldiers and National Guard forces, to over 10,000. Officials say Task Force Forge’s presence east of Yuma strengthens border operations, though federal law bars active-duty troops from engaging in direct law enforcement. The mission’s stated goal is to bolster border security and maintain operational readiness. Military officials emphasize this is part of a broader strategy to uphold territorial integrity, despite ongoing criticism of the militarization of immigration enforcement.
📌 Key Facts
Deployment: 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton now operational east of Yuma, Arizona.
Mission: Engineering, logistics, and surveillance support for CBP, no law enforcement roles.
Command: Task Force Forge led by Lt. Col. Colin Graham under Joint Task Force–Southern Border.
Background: Executive Order 14167 (Jan. 2025) directed military involvement; April memo granted land access.
🗳️📉 Trump’s Texas Redistricting Push Aims for 5 GOP Seats, Democrats Scramble for Response
Gabby Birenbaum and Owen Dahlkamp, The Texas Tribune.- Texas Democrats are warning that President Donald Trump’s push to redraw congressional maps to gain five GOP seats threatens voting rights and democracy. During a special session next week, Republicans in Austin are expected to propose maps that shift GOP voters into Democratic districts, thereby solidifying control. Democrats, locked out of state power, have few options. Ideas include urging blue states to retaliate with Democrat-favoring maps or staging a quorum break to block votes. Democrats warn the GOP could overreach, creating a “dumbander” vulnerable in future elections. Trump’s team claims redistricting could flip seats thanks to GOP growth and Hispanic voter shifts. With legal battles likely and court challenges pending on the 2021 maps, Democrats brace for a fight but stress they can still compete through voter turnout and national momentum.
📌 Key Facts
Goal: Trump aims for five additional GOP House seats through Texas redistricting.
Session: Texas Legislature’s special session starts Monday to tackle redistricting.
Current Split: Republicans control 25 of 38 Texas congressional seats.
Democratic Options: Blue state retaliation, quorum break, lawsuits.
Legal Risks: DOJ has warned Texas about potential Voting Rights Act violations.
Context: GOP sees gains through shifting Hispanic vote and lopsided victories in 2024.