The DOJ BIDEN Grant Program: $3 Billion, Three Rounds, and Where Drone Detection Fits

The Department of Justice is putting up to $3 billion on the table for state, local, and tribal criminal justice agencies. It's a completely different pot of money than the FEMA counter-UAS grants most agencies have been tracking this year. Here's what the program actually funds, who qualifies, and why drone detection technology has a real claim on Category 2 dollars.

A $3 Billion Program Separate From FEMA's Counter-UAS Grants

The DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance's FY 2026 Bridging Immigration-Related Deficits Experienced Nationwide Program, formally shortened to the “BIDEN” Program, is authorized under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21), codified at 34 U.S.C. § 61101. The official notice of funding opportunity puts total expected funding at $3 billion, released through the Bureau of Justice Assistance's funding opportunity listing on a rolling basis across three rounds, with awards running 36 to 60 months starting August 1, 2026.

It's easy to confuse this with the FEMA Counter-UAS Grant Program, which we've covered extensively (most recently in our breakdown of $1.8B in federal counter-drone funding). They're not the same program. FEMA's grant is specifically for detection, tracking, identification, and monitoring equipment at state and local level, tied to the Department of Homeland Security. DOJ's BIDEN Program is far broader. It funds personnel hiring, general technology and equipment, and detention facility construction, and eligibility runs through a completely different set of requirements tied to immigration enforcement partnerships. An agency can be eligible for one, both, or neither, depending on its posture on 287(g) and its C-UAS mission needs.

What the Three Funding Categories Actually Cover

The NOFO structures funding into three categories, and applicants can request funding from more than one in a single application:

The technology and equipment language in Category 2 is broad by design. The NOFO states it funds “equipment and advanced technology to address critical resource gaps and enhance capacity to support criminal justice operations,” and lists Objective 4 of the program as increasing “law enforcement agencies' operational capabilities by providing equipment and technology that directly supports efforts to identify, locate, apprehend, investigate, detain, and transport criminal illegal aliens, drug trafficking suspects, [and] human trafficking perpetrators.” That's the objective language detection technology needs to map to in a proposal narrative.

Who Qualifies: The Two Non-Negotiable Requirements

Eligible applicants include state governments, county and city/township governments, special district governments, and both federally recognized and non-federally-recognized Native American Tribal governments, along with state agencies and units of local government that carry direct responsibility for criminal justice functions: investigation, prosecution, detention, corrections, transportation, and associated support activities.

Beyond entity type, every applicant has to clear two conditions the NOFO treats as basic minimum requirements, not preferences:

• A 287(g) partnership. Applicants must have an established 287(g) agreement with ICE, or commit to entering into and fully participating in one. The 287(g) program, authorized under the Immigration and Nationality Act, delegates specific immigration-enforcement authority to trained state and local officers.
• HSTF or major DOJ enforcement participation. Applicants must be fully participating in Homeland Security Task Force operations or another major DOJ enforcement effort, or commit to it, and must attach a letter of support from DOJ or another federal HSTF member confirming that participation. HSTFs are the 30 regional, DHS/FBI co-led task forces established following Executive Order 14159 to target cartels, transnational gangs, and cross-border smuggling networks.

Both are required application components, not optional strengthening factors. An application missing either is denied at the responsiveness review stage.

From Award Letter to Purchase Order: What the Timeline Actually Looks Like

An award notification is not a release of funds, and the gap between the two catches agencies off guard. Per the JustGrants award acceptance process, recipients have up to 45 days to accept an award once notified. Acceptance requires the entity's Administrator to assign Financial Manager and Authorized Representative roles, and for the Authorized Representative to sign the award package, including any special conditions.

Only after acceptance does the process move to the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP), the Treasury Department's grant payment system. Entities must enroll in ASAP, which is mandatory for every DOJ award recipient, and any special or high-risk conditions, including BJA review of budget and program plans, must clear before drawdown restrictions lift. Only once ASAP notifies the entity that funds are available for drawdown can that money actually be spent on equipment. Agencies that pre-enroll in ASAP and pre-assign JustGrants roles before an award lands remove the two most common bottlenecks in this chain.

Where Drone Detection Fits

The NOFO doesn't name counter-drone technology as a standalone line item. Category 2 is written broadly to cover “equipment and advanced technology” generally. But drone detection maps directly onto the program's stated mission of strengthening enforcement, detention, and investigative operations:

• Stops drone-enabled trafficking and smuggling. Criminal networks increasingly use drones to deliver drugs, weapons, cell phones, and escape tools. Detection technology helps agencies locate and interdict these activities in real time.
• Enhances investigative and intelligence capabilities. Drone flight data reveals launch points, patterns, and criminal networks, supporting investigations tied to gangs, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations.
• Protects detention and corrections facilities. Facilities housing criminal illegal aliens are prime targets for drone-enabled contraband drops. Detection technology improves detention security, inmate management, and operational continuity.
• Aligns with Category 2 funding priorities. Drone detection is an advanced technology that directly increases agency capacity to identify, locate, apprehend, investigate, detain, and transport offenders, matching the NOFO's statutory purpose.

The data backs up all four points

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official told Cronkite News, the news service of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, that 34,682 drone flights were detected within 500 meters of the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2025, a figure not previously disclosed publicly. KJZZ's Fronteras Desk, an NPR member station covering the border region, reports cartels are using this drone activity for surveillance of Border Patrol movements, coordination of smuggling routes, and contraband deliveries, with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel operating its own dedicated “Drone Operators” unit.

On the detention side, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported 479 drone-related incidents in 2024, up from just 23 in 2018, according to Fox News. CNN reported that South Carolina's state prison system alone logged 273 drone smuggling incidents in 2025. In June 2026, federal authorities dismantled what The Washington Times called the largest prison drone-smuggling operation in U.S. history, running drug, cellphone, and escape-tool deliveries into at least 10 federal facilities, an operation investigators say was ultimately traced through drone detection systems already in place at the targeted prisons. The National Institute of Justice, DOJ's own research arm, has published guidance identifying detection technology as a necessary layer for correctional facilities managing this threat.

Application Timeline: Three Rounds Through September 2026

Additional rounds may be added, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted, so later rounds are competing for a shrinking pool. See the Round 2 NOFO listing for the most current status.

What Agencies Should Do Before Applying

• Confirm SAM.gov registration is active. It's required before any DOJ award can be accepted, and renewals can take longer than expected.
• Assign JustGrants roles (Entity Administrator, Financial Manager, Authorized Representative) before an award lands, not after. This is what starts the 45-day acceptance clock.
• Pre-enroll in ASAP so account creation isn't the bottleneck once an award is accepted.
• Secure the required letter of support from DOJ or an HSTF member confirming HSTF participation. This is a required attachment, not optional.
• Scope the Category 2 technology package now, including any detection requirements, so the proposal narrative can speak to specific operational capability gaps rather than general equipment needs.

Go Deeper

We put together a full 3-page guidance brief covering eligibility, the case for drone detection, and the complete application timeline. Download the BIDEN Program Grant Guidance Brief.

Related reading:

• SAFER SKIES Act Explained: Counter-Drone Authority for Law Enforcement
• Anti-Drone Market 2026: Where $1.8B in Federal Funding Is Going
• Border Security: The Role of Drones in Smuggling and Surveillance
• AirSight for Correctional Facilities (Prisons)

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