About a third of them are cameras Border Patrol Basic surveillance systems along the U.S. southern border are not working, depriving border agents of an important tool in the fight, according to an internal agency memo sent early in October. Illegal crossing of immigrants.
“The national issue is having a significant impact on (Border Patrol) operations,” says a Border Patrol memo sent to a section of agents along the southern border and obtained by NBC News.
The large-scale outage affected about 150 of the 500 cameras installed on surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border. This was due to “several technical issues,” according to the memo. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, attributed the problem to aging equipment and delayed repairs.
The camera system, known as the Remote Video Surveillance System, has been used since 2011 “to inspect large areas without committing hundreds of agents in vehicles to perform the same function”. But according to internal memos, 30% were ineffective. It is unclear when the camera stopped working.
Two Customs and Border Protection officials said some repairs were made this month, but there are still more than 150 unsupported requests for camera repairs. Officials said there are areas that cannot be seen by Border Patrol due to broken cameras.
A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the agency has installed about 300 new towers that use more advanced technology.
“CBP continues to install new, more advanced technology that embraces artificial intelligence and machine learning to replace older systems, reducing the need for agents to perform non-preventative duties,” the spokesperson said.
The Border Patrol Union in Laredo, Texas, mentioned the issue in a post on last week's Facebook page. The union told its members that it “shares your concerns that ineffective camera towers at the border pose serious concerns for the safety of officers and the border.”
“We hope this issue is resolved soon as it has been around for some time!” Union was added to the role on October 11. “The American taxpayer has made significant investments in technology at the border and expects this technology to be effective.”
An internal Border Patrol memo obtained by NBC News attributes the problem to a different federal agency — the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA. The FAA, which maintains the systems and repairs the cameras, has internal problems meeting Border Patrol demands, the memo states, but does not specify what those problems are.
The FAA will send personnel to the southern border to work on the cameras, the memo said.
Border Patrol leadership is considering replacing the FAA with a contractor that can provide “adequate technical support for the cameras.”
A third Customs and Border Patrol official said the agency is trying to address a significant problem that has not been adequately managed for the past 20 years.
An FAA spokesperson declined to comment.
The Department of Homeland Security's budget request to Congress, through the White House, has routinely requested more money to restore border surveillance.
House Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill earlier this year that would have significantly improved surveillance, hired additional Border Patrol agents and restarted border wall construction.
