Whistleblowers claim Border Patrol surveillance cameras 'out of service' as GOP demands answers from DHS
Over the last year, Fox News correspondents Bill Melguin and Griff Jenkins have been following complaints from Border Patrol sources that many of the crucial remote surveillance cameras in multiple sectors along the southern border have not been operational.
U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee Republicans say whistleblowers came forward to the committee last week, claiming that “some of the busiest Southwest border sectors have nearly 50 or more cameras offline with multiple towers that have been out of service for more than a year.”
On Wednesday, the House Homeland Security Committee sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, claiming that whistleblowers came forward to the committee last week with concerning information on this issue.
The letter from Republicans to Mayorkas demanded answers.
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Additionally, the committee says the sources claim that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for repairing the cameras, and it has been improperly contracting to companies employing non-US citizens against Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policy “who may be physically manipulating the equipment on the camera towers.”
These surveillance cameras are extremely important to Border Patrol for tracking migrant evaders, smugglers, gotaways, and large groups, and having so many of them not working is a big problem for Border Patrol, committee sources said.
“Multiple sources revealed to the Committee last week that more than 66% of the cameras in the remote video surveillance systems upgrade (RVSS-U) program are inoperable. According to these sources, some of the busiest Southwest border sectors have nearly 50 or more cameras offline with multiple towers that have been out of service for more than a year.”
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In a statement to Fox News, the Border Patrol union said:
“Once again, we have another situation of ineptness from this administration, and it continues to show how out of touch DHS leadership is. Not only does this have an impact on the country by not knowing who or what is coming in, it also impacts the safety of the agents working the front lines,” Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council said.
NBC News reported that an October memo said nearly one-third of cameras, roughly 150 of 500 cameras on surveillance towers, were out due to technical issues.
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“The nationwide issue is having significant impacts on [Border Patrol] operations,” the memo said.
The RVSS are nearly 15 years old and are used to monitor areas of the border without the need for regular on the ground patrols. Agents will rely on a variety of detection and surveillance, including AI-powered towers, as well as helicopters, K-9s, the border wall, and the agents themselves.
Agents have noted the helpfulness of the automated surveillance towers, which are more advanced and use AI to track migrants and help agents locate them. CBP has deployed more than 300 of the towers.
Officials say that RVSS is an old, costly system requiring regular maintenance and dedicated staff to monitor the cameras. That is opposed to the newer systems that use AI and provide alerts to agents in real time.
“CBP continues to install newer, more advanced technology that embrace[s] artificial intelligence and machine learning to replace outdated systems, reducing the need to have agents working [on] non-interdiction functions within a local command center.”
However, the National Border Patrol Council’s branch in Laredo, Texas, recently highlighted the issues and told agents that it “shares your concerns that inoperable camera towers along the border are causing serious Officer Safety and Border Security concerns.”
The report comes as border security remains a top issue ahead of the 2024 election. Both presidential candidates, former President Trump and Vice President Harris, have pledged to provide more funding to the southern border and have been attempting to show voters that they are the stronger candidate for securing it.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
