Chinese technology companies are smuggling electronic warfare gear into the United States, posing a danger to civil aviation and public safety, the Department of Homeland Security said in a warning notice.
Smuggling of Chinese-made signal jammers into the country increased by 830% since 2021 despite efforts by Chinese companies to short-circuit inspections by Customs and Border Protection agents, DHS said in a statement Wednesday.
“Signal jammers can be used to disrupt a range of radio frequency channels, and pose a threat to emergency response, law enforcement and critical infrastructure,” DHS said.
According to DHS, illegal aliens from South America use jammers to disrupt calls to local police during home invasions or bank robberies. The jammers have been used in crimes in Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.
In February, Texas law enforcement authorities seized a signal jammer during the arrest of an illegal alien from Chile, and in December, a criminal used a jammer during a police response to a burglary.
“Signal jammers have been used by illegal aliens across the country to jam communications during police operations, bank robberies, burglaries, and other dangerous crimes,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said. “As Chinese manufacturers attempt to smuggle signal jammers, we will continue to seize these tools of terrorism.”
Federal law prohibits the non-government importation, operation, marketing and sale of signal jamming equipment that could interfere with law enforcement communications, Global Positioning System signals, or radar.
A variety of electronic signal jammers are offered for sale online. They range in price from $50 to $32,000 and are capable of jamming signals ranging from GPS, cell phone, Bluetooth and drone aircraft signals.
Signal jammers are illegal in the United States over concerns the equipment can be used to disrupt emergency, law enforcement and other legitimate signals.
High-powered signal jammers could be used in electronic warfare attacks by Chinese saboteurs against U.S. military forces in a crisis or conflict.
China’s military has developed extensive electronic warfare capabilities for use in targeting the U.S. military, according the 2024 annual report by the congressional U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
The People’s Liberation Army also uses electromagnetic or directed energy to disrupt electronic information systems.
China’s electronic warfare capabilities “would present a significant challenge to U.S. forces by disrupting the data links and communications U.S. and allied forces need to operate during conflict,” the report said.
