Pentagon Clears DHS to Test Heat-ray Weapon at Border

WHO:

The Independent - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the loan and testing of the Active Denial System.

CNN - The Pentagon authorized DHS to test the system and develop tactics for possible use at the southern U.S. border.

CNN - DHS is solely responsible for the system’s “employment, use and development of tactics, techniques and procedures.”

CNN - Rodney Scott, now CBP commissioner, led the El Centro sector when it evaluated the system.

CNN - Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen rejected a proposal to use the system against migrants.

CNN - CBP and DHS officials have considered the weapon for border crowd dispersal; it has never been deployed at the border.

WHAT:

The Independent - Hegseth approved a seven-month loan of the weapon, beginning in September; the memo says it “shall not be operated by [Department of War] personnel.”

CNN - The memo authorizes a “temporary loan” of one system. DHS may request additional use at the end of the loan period.

CNN - Officials considered whether the system could discourage crossings or push people out of a river; possible rescues of people incapacitated by the technology were a concern.

CNN - CBP officials considered the system against migrants in 2018; a former DHS official said the concern was “treating immigrants and citizens like enemy combatants.”

CNN - Some Border Patrol agents questioned the tool’s necessity amid low crossings and increased staffing.

WHERE:

The Independent - The proposed use is at the U.S.-Mexico border; the memo does not specify where or how testing would occur.

CNN - The El Centro sector covers about 70 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.

CNN - The U.S. military brought the system to Afghanistan but did not use it in active combat.

WHEN:

The Independent - The loan is for seven months, starting in September.

CNN - The system’s tingling effect lasts 10 to 15 minutes.

CNN - CBP considered use of the system in 2018.

WHY:

CNN - Officials raised concerns about legality, use of force, effectiveness, sovereignty if people in Mexico were targeted, and possible direct or indirect harm.

The Independent - A former CBP official warned that people driven toward a river could drown and questioned whether the costs, training, and policies were worthwhile.

HOW:

CNN - The Active Denial System is a nonlethal directed-energy weapon that emits an invisible electromagnetic beam reaching a little more than half a mile.

The Independent - The beam causes an intense burning sensation on skin; the military describes a “tingling sensation” and an “instinctive and irresistible urge to run from the effect.”

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 23:30 UTC)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a seven-month loan of an Active Denial System to the Department of Homeland Security for testing and possible use at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Pentagon’s memo authorizes one system, and says Defense Department personnel cannot operate it; DHS is responsible for testing and developing tactics. The weapon fires an invisible electromagnetic beam that causes an intense burning sensation, which the military describes as tingling that prompts people to flee. Officials have considered whether it could deter crossings or push people out of a river, but the memo does not specify where or how testing would take place. The system has never been used at the border. Officials have raised concerns about legality, use of force, effectiveness and potential harm, including the risk that people driven toward a river could drown. Some agents have also questioned whether it is necessary.