The Department of Homeland Security has discontinued a program that utilized a fleet of blimps to enhance surveillance of the southern border due to a lack of funding.
Agents and lawmakers raised objections to ending the program, arguing that it played a crucial role in assisting them in tracking migrants who tried to enter the country unlawfully and evading apprehension near the border.
The program initially utilized twelve blimps strategically positioned in Nogales, Arizona, Deming, New Mexico, El Indio, Texas, and McAllen, Texas. However, the number of blimps has now been reduced to four. It was anticipated last year that the funding for the program would be depleted, and the final decision to shut it down has been made at this time.
“Not just immigrants that come looking for work, that come through here, terrorists will be coming through here, drugs and so forth, because they know we don’t have the technology,” Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerberg told Border Report after learning the news.
According to the outlet, there are currently no plans to replace the blimps with any other system, and there is also no indication of funding being resumed. The program’s two dozen employees were laid off and informed that they would be rehired if funding were to be reinstated.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has turned to virtual technologies to assist agents in monitoring border movement. They have recently implemented 195 autonomous surveillance towers and 256 remote video surveillance upgrades. This initiative has been referred to as a “virtual wall” extending from California to Texas, according to some agents.
Migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have significantly decreased since President Biden assumed office. According to CBP, there were 56,408 migrant encounters between ports of entry in July, marking an 80% decline compared to the peak of illegal crossings in December last year.
The number of migrants crossing the border has been steadily decreasing over the past five months. This decline has been observed across all demographics, including single adults, families, and unaccompanied minors, even during a time when migration typically sees an increase.
