SUNLAND PARK, N.M. — Border Patrol agents say they are using a layered enforcement system that has been expanded in recent years and combines the use of barriers and technology as they battle the movement of illegal immigrants across the southern border in the El Paso area. ing.Enforcement efforts such as these have helped thwart cartel smuggling operations and catch illegal immigrants entering the United States.
wall/fence
Covering the border in Sunland Park, New Mexico is miles of border wall. Part of it is border fencing built during the Obama administration, and other parts are made up of Trump-era bollard walls.
FOX News Digital was on the ground when agents apprehended the illegal immigrant right next to a fence with a hole in it. Even if they got through, it gave agents time to arrest them. Agents generally claim that bollard fences are harder to get through. Other parts of the fence are also reinforced with bollards and in some cases filled with concrete.
Caught on camera: Migrant who breaches fence is arrested by federal authorities
Parts of the border fence have been reinforced with bollards to prevent intrusion. (Fox News)
But critics of the barrier point out that it is not a solution on its own. Barriers can be penetrated, even those with bollards and filled with concrete. And the border was littered with makeshift ladders and ropes used by migrants to scale barriers.
Building a wall is not possible in other areas of the border. Such is the case with the looming Mount Cristo Rei, a steep region where no wall can be built and the U.S.-Mexico border is marked only by an obelisk. This is where the other layer of execution strategy comes into play.
autonomous watchtower
The Biden administration halted most border wall construction in 2021, but continued some repairs and moved forward with construction that had already been appropriated. But overall, the emphasis is instead on the importance of technology. And in this area, agents say, the government has made progress.
There are currently 24 autonomous surveillance towers (ASTs) in the El Paso area, and more than 50 in the neighboring Big Bend area, officials said. The Biden administration’s fiscal year 2025 budget includes an additional $127 million for “modernizing border security technology,” including the deployment of additional towers.
Powered by renewable energy, the tower operates 24 hours a day by scanning the environment with radar. They use artificial intelligence to “take over” each other. So if a group goes out of sight from her one tower, the neighboring tower will pick it up. The use of AST did not begin with the Biden administration. It started during the Trump administration, but has expanded dramatically under the current administration.
For more information on the border security crisis, click here
Autonomous surveillance towers have increased significantly in recent years. (Fox News)
CBP says the technology works even before a migrant enters the United States, allowing agents to plan before the migrant even sets foot on American soil. AI technology can scan faces, differentiate between humans and wildlife, and send instant alerts to agents in the field using a mobile phone or tablet. You can also determine how many people are in your group. So even if the agent is looking for a group of eight immigrants and she only finds five, she knows she has three more to track down.
What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
Towers are located throughout the border, but are especially useful here, given the dangerous terrain of the mountainous region. With the tower in place, agents no longer have to chase migrants up the mountain. They can monitor and track them through towers and wait on the plains for the immigrants to finally (often exhausted) emerge.
Chopper, Agent, K-9
Border Patrol agents use K-9s to intercept illegal immigrants and smugglers. (Fox News)
Even if a migrant breaches the border wall and is spotted by a guard tower, they must be arrested. This is where Border Patrol agents will be on guard duty.
But they have help. The CBP canine unit is headquartered in El Paso, and some Border Patrol agents, in addition to the unit’s role in other areas within CBP jurisdiction, are learning how to use specially trained dogs to track migrants and smugglers. trained.
K-9s can also help apprehend illegal immigrants who become violent and attempt to attack personnel. Fox observed Kanu, one of Sunland Park’s K-9s, working with his handler to sniff the terrain and look for possible leads.
Air-sea operations helicopters survey the southern border of New Mexico. (Fox News)
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Meanwhile, the Border Patrol is also supporting CBP’s Air and Maritime Operations (AMO) helicopters. They swoop over mountains to provide additional surveillance and intimidate migrants who may be planning to cross, while allowing AMO to quickly assist with rescues if necessary.
In the 2025 budget, the government wants to invest an additional $210 million in staffing, including for Border Force, as well as $86 million in AMO support.
rescue tower
Another deployment here in El Paso is the use of rescue towers that allow migrants to press a button to call for help. The area’s 21 towers can warn migrants that they are in danger and call for assistance. Pressing this button turns on a sharp blue light at the top of the beacon, making it visible to agents from miles away.
Mr Fox toured a rescue tower near the site of the infamous incident in 2021 when two girls, aged 3 and 5, were thrown over a wall by smugglers. Luckily, agents found them and rescued them. Other migrants are not so lucky, and there are many instances where agents come across dead bodies. These towers are designed to prevent that.
Rescue beacons have been deployed across the southern border. (Fox News)
So far in fiscal year 2024, El Paso District officials have rescued more than 300 migrants, but 34 migrants have died.
Cooperation with state authorities
While there has been friction between federal and state authorities in nearby Texas, here in New Mexico local authorities and CBP are working together.
New Mexico law enforcement will work with the Border Patrol to stem the flow of illegal immigrants. Dona Ana County officials recently announced a partnership to prosecute state crimes committed by smugglers.
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Overall, the Border Patrol believes its layered enforcement strategy is working. They point to a sharp decline in anxiety over the last year. The Border Patrol had 427,471 cases in this division in fiscal year 2023. The number of cases so far in fiscal year 2024, which started in October, is just over 150,000.
Separately, authorities note that by fiscal year 2024, interdiction teams have destroyed more than 136 caches and infiltrated more than 1,377 people smuggled into the country.
