Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., is pressing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott for more information about the agency’s deployment of non-intrusive inspection (NII) technology at land ports of entry.
In a June 23 letter to Scott, Hassan asked CBP to explain its plans for expanding NII technology, which uses advanced imaging systems to help officers detect drugs and other contraband concealed in vehicles and cargo. She also questioned whether equipment deployment, staffing, and planning challenges could affect the agency’s ability to meet a congressional mandate to expand scanning capabilities.
In 2021, Congress passed the bipartisan Securing America’s Ports Act, requiring CBP to develop a plan for achieving 100% scanning of commercial and passenger vehicles and rail containers entering the United States at land ports of entry by 2027 using large-scale NII systems.
“Despite the potential effectiveness of NII in the fight against fentanyl trafficking and the Congressional mandate for its deployment, CBP has been slow to deploy NII technology and currently has no plans for additional equipment at several critical ports of entry,” Hassan wrote.
Hassan cited a September 2025 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found CBP had made limited progress toward deploying NII systems. According to the report, 52 of 153 planned large-scale NII systems were fully operational as of February 2025, while the remaining systems were in pre-planning, design, or construction phases.
The report also revealed that staffing shortages and system outages limited the use of installed equipment. In fiscal year 2024, about half of individual large-scale NII systems met CBP’s operational availability targets, which measure whether systems are functioning, staffed, and ready for use.
Hassan also highlighted the report’s finding that CBP does not plan to deploy large-scale NII systems at some southwest border ports of entry. According to the GAO, those ports account for 38 percent of passenger vehicle traffic along the southwest border.
“This [issue] is especially concerning, as I recently met with Drug Enforcement Administration officials in San Diego who highlighted the fact that the trafficking of illicit drugs into the United States continues to be an issue of serious concern,” Hassan wrote.
She noted that drug smuggling through southern border ports of entry remains the primary way fentanyl enters the United States. Hassan cited Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data showing that about 80 percent of DHS fentanyl seizures between fiscal years (FY) 2021 and 2024 occurred in the southwest border region. In FY 2025, she wrote, 75 percent of drugs seized by CBP in the southwest border region were seized at ports of entry.
Hassan said data suggests NII technology has played an important role in drug interdiction efforts by allowing officers to identify drugs hidden in cars, trucks, trailers, and cargo containers while minimizing disruptions to lawful trade and travel.
“Recent developments, including CBP’s deployment of some NII technology that was previously in storage and a CBP request for information to industry about using AI for NII, are positive but not sufficient given the urgency of the threat,” Hassan wrote.
Hassan requested a response to questions about CBP’s NII implementation plans and challenges by July 7.
MeriTalk reached out to CBP for comment but had not received a response by publication.