U.S. authorities want to test an invisible "heat ray" at the border that makes people feel like they are burning

For several decades, the American military has been developing weapons that would allow them to stop or disperse people without the use of firearms. One direction of such research is technologies that affect humans using electromagnetic radiation.

Work in this area began in the late 1980s, and between 2002 and 2007, the Pentagon developed a demonstration system called the Active Denial System (ADS). Its purpose is to force a person to leave a certain area through a strong sensation of pain, without inflicting fatal injuries.

The idea of using such technology to deter migrants attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border is not new. In 2018, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen rejected a proposal to use it against migrants. However, in July 2025, a Pentagon unit published material justifying the advantages of such a weapon for border security.

Now, it has come to practical testing. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the transfer of the Active Denial System to the Department of Homeland Security for seven months. During this time, the department will be able to test its capabilities and develop tactics for its possible use against people attempting to illegally enter the United States. However, a final decision on the weapon's deployment has not yet been made.

How the "heat ray" works

The Active Denial System can affect a person up to one kilometer away. The device emits an invisible beam of electromagnetic waves that penetrate approximately 0.4 millimeters into the skin and rapidly heat its surface.

The sensation is compared to an intense heat felt when opening a very hot oven. The pain is so intense that the person almost instantly seeks to leave the beam's zone of action.

According to the Pentagon, as soon as a person moves out of the beam's effect, the burning sensation disappears. However, they may still feel tingling or pain when touching the skin for another 10-15 minutes.

Despite being designed as a non-lethal weapon, the system is not entirely safe. There have been at least two known cases where its exposure caused second-degree burns.

The Pentagon claims that significantly longer exposure is required for fatal injury than what is sufficient to make a person move away. The risk of injury, according to the military, should be reduced by technical limitations, software, and special training for operators.

The use of such a weapon against migrants raises ethical and legal disputes. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in turn, states that new technologies should enhance safety and help save human lives.

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