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Forbes
Forbes
30 Apr 2025


Trump tariffs may make ICE and police tech much more expensive.

Trump has promised to empower his border police, but may be making their work considerably more expensive with his tariffs on China. (Photo by Michael Gonzalez / AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL GONZALEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

As Trump continues to play brinksmanship in his trade war with China, the 145% tariffs are threatening to make one of his core missions — to mass deport undocumented people — significantly more expensive.

Some of the biggest tech suppliers to ICE and CBP are warning about the impact of the tariffs and raising the prospect of increased prices, not just for border cops but for most police departments across the country too. $40 billion market cap Axon Enterprise, which provides body cameras, Tasers and cloud-based evidence storage to ICE and CBP, has warned about the damage to come for months. Trump’s increase in tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada “could have a significant impact on our business,” the company wrote in an SEC filing this April. In the same filing, an annual report for investors, the company noted, “We might also consider increasing prices to the end consumer; however, this could reduce the competitiveness of our products and adversely affect net sales.”

The company’s biggest federal contract, signed at the tail end of Trump’s first term in office and worth over $20 million, is to provide CBP with bodyworn cameras, according to contracting records. Just last month, it signed a $5 million deal to give ICE the same kind of cameras and cloud storage for the video footage. Axon imports components for its products from China, Taiwan, Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea.

“The tariffs hurt American companies way more than it hurts the Chinese.”

Bobby Sakaki, drone expert

Cops who spoke to Forbes are anxious about the impact. New Jersey-based detective Luis Figuerido is expecting the tariffs to send Axon’s prices up. He said costs for other surveillance tools, from drones to cameras, are also likely to jump. “If the cost goes up, then it will impact all that use the tech at the state and federal level,” he said. LAPD deputy chief John McMahon said any potential price increase was a cause for concern. “The city of L.A. is facing a billion dollar deficit,” he said.

Axon president Josh Isner told Forbes the company had “inventory buffers” and its “diversified supply chain positions us well to manage through volatility… We are working closely with suppliers and other key stakeholders to preserve flexibility as the tariff environment continues to evolve.” The company did not respond to questions about whether costs will be going up.

Cellebrite, which provides phone and PC forensics tools to ICE and CBP, has also warned of the incoming tariff impact. Its recent annual report to investors, the company warned the cost of the raw materials or components sourced from abroad may go up as a result of increased tariffs, which “could adversely impact the profitability of our operations.” It stopped short of saying where it sourced those materials and did not raise the possibility of increased prices for customers. The company declined to comment.

Development of drone technology could also be severely hit. Manufacturers across the board are already suffering because of frosty relations between America and China. DJI, the most popular model among U.S. cops and consumers, has been targeted by federal bans, though states remain free to use its devices. American companies like Skydio, an ICE and CBP contractor, and a close partner of Axon’s, are also sourcing parts from China, leaving them vulnerable to rising expenses that could be passed down to buyers.

Ironically, U.S. police drone manufacturers could come off worse compared to Chinese counterparts, according to Bobby Sakaki, a former director at Chinese drone company Autel who now consults with unmanned vehicle manufacturers. Though tariffs could make DJI drones significantly more expensive, they’d still likely cost less than their American counterparts because of how much cheaper they are already, he said.

As Forbes previously reported, DJI police drones are often more than 50% cheaper than rival Skydio drones. “The tariffs hurt American companies way more than it hurts the Chinese,” Sakaki added. But whether they buy Chinese or American, local and federal governments will still be paying more for law enforcement tools thanks to the tariffs.