Nearly one-third of the cameras in the Border Patrol’s primary surveillance system along the southern U.S. border are not working, according to an internal agency memo sent in early October, depriving border agents of a crucial tool in combating illegal migrant crossings.
“The nationwide issue is having significant impacts on [Border Patrol] operations,” reads a Border Patrol memo sent to a sector of agents along the southern border and obtained by NBC News
The large-scale outage affects roughly 150 of the 500 cameras perched on surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
It was due to “several technical problems,” according to the memo. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, blamed outdated equipment and outstanding repair issues.
The camera systems, known as Remote Video Surveillance Systems, have been used since 2011 to “survey large areas without having to commit hundreds of agents in vehicles to perform the same function.” But according to the internal memo, 30% were inoperable. It is not clear when the cameras stopped working.
Two Customs and Border Protections officials said that some repairs have been made this month but that there are still over 150 outstanding requests for camera repairs.
The officials said there are some areas that are not visible to Border Patrol because of broken cameras.
A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the agency has installed roughly 300 new towers that use more advanced technology.
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