diff --git a/python/ee/cli/commands.py b/python/ee/cli/commands.py
index aba9f9a64..ac79c9b11 100644
--- a/python/ee/cli/commands.py
+++ b/python/ee/cli/commands.py
@@ -1448,6 +1448,43 @@ def is_tf_record(path: str) -> bool:
     return manifest
 
 
+class UploadExternalImageCommand:
+  """Creates an asset backed by an external image.
+
+  See
+  https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/Earth_Engine_asset_from_cloud_geotiff
+  for more details on constructing the manifest.
+  """
+
+  name = 'external_image'
+
+  def __init__(self, parser: argparse.ArgumentParser):
+    _add_wait_arg(parser)
+    _add_overwrite_arg(parser)
+    parser.add_argument(
+        '--manifest',
+        help='Local path to a JSON asset manifest file.')
+
+  @_using_v1alpha
+  def run(
+      self, args: argparse.Namespace, config: utils.CommandLineConfig
+  ) -> None:
+    """Creates an external image synchronously."""
+    config.ee_init()
+    manifest = self.manifest_from_args(args)
+    name = ee.data.startExternalImageIngestion(manifest, args.force)['name']
+    print('Created asset %s' % name)
+
+  def manifest_from_args(self, args: argparse.Namespace) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+    """Constructs an upload manifest from the command-line flags."""
+
+    if args.manifest:
+      with open(args.manifest) as fh:
+        return json.loads(fh.read())
+
+    raise ValueError('Flag --manifest must be set.')
+
+
 # TODO(user): update src_files help string when secondary files
 # can be uploaded.
 class UploadTableCommand:
@@ -1640,6 +1677,17 @@ class UploadCommand(Dispatcher):
       UploadTableCommand,
   ]
 
+
+class AlphaUploadCommand(Dispatcher):
+  """Uploads assets to Earth Engine."""
+
+  name = 'upload'
+
+  COMMANDS = [
+      UploadExternalImageCommand,
+  ]
+
+
 class _UploadManifestBase:
   """Uploads an asset to Earth Engine using the given manifest file."""
 
@@ -2016,6 +2064,7 @@ class AlphaCommand(Dispatcher):
 
   COMMANDS = [
       ProjectConfigCommand,
+      AlphaUploadCommand,
   ]
 
 
diff --git a/python/ee/data.py b/python/ee/data.py
index e2654250a..620791a51 100644
--- a/python/ee/data.py
+++ b/python/ee/data.py
@@ -1910,6 +1910,7 @@ def _prepare_and_run_export(
 
 # TODO(user): use StrEnum when 3.11 is the min version
 _INTERNAL_IMPORT = 'INTERNAL_IMPORT'
+_EXTERNAL_IMPORT = 'EXTERNAL_IMPORT'
 
 
 def _startIngestion(
@@ -1933,6 +1934,10 @@ def _startIngestion(
   image = _get_cloud_projects().image()
   if import_mode == _INTERNAL_IMPORT:
     import_request = image.import_(project=_get_projects_path(), body=request)
+  elif import_mode == _EXTERNAL_IMPORT:
+    import_request = image.importExternal(
+        project=_get_projects_path(), body=request
+    )
   else:
     raise ee_exception.EEException(
         '{} is not a valid import mode'.format(import_mode)
@@ -1993,6 +1998,38 @@ def startIngestion(
   return _startIngestion(request_id, params, allow_overwrite, _INTERNAL_IMPORT)
 
 
+def startExternalImageIngestion(
+    image_manifest: Dict[str, Any],
+    allow_overwrite: bool = False,
+) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+  """Creates an external image.
+
+  Args:
+    image_manifest: The object that describes the import task, which can
+        have these fields:
+          name (string) The destination asset id (e.g.,
+             "projects/myproject/assets/foo/bar").
+          tilesets (array) A list of Google Cloud Storage source file paths
+            formatted like:
+              [{'sources': [
+                  {'uris': ['foo.tif', 'foo.prj']},
+                  {'uris': ['bar.tif', 'bar.prj']},
+              ]}]
+            Where path values correspond to source files' Google Cloud Storage
+            object names, e.g., 'gs://bucketname/filename.tif'
+          bands (array) An optional list of band names formatted like:
+            [{'id': 'R'}, {'id': 'G'}, {'id': 'B'}]
+        In general, this is a dict representation of an ImageManifest.
+    allow_overwrite: Whether the ingested image can overwrite an
+        existing version.
+
+  Returns:
+    The name of the created asset.
+  """
+  return _startIngestion(
+      'unused', image_manifest, allow_overwrite, _EXTERNAL_IMPORT)
+
+
 def startTableIngestion(
     request_id: str, params: Dict[str, Any], allow_overwrite: bool = False
 ) -> Dict[str, Any]: