The Download: investigating deaths at the US border’s “virtual wall”
An investigation by MIT Technology Review reveals that migrants are dying from environmental exposure near US border surveillance towers equipped with AI technology. The report highlights a disconnect between the deployment of high-tech monitoring systems and the humanitarian outcomes for those crossing the border.
Why it matters
It raises critical ethical questions about the efficacy and human cost of using AI-driven surveillance in border security operations.
This is today's edition of The Download , our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.
When José Morales Bernal crossed the border into the US in April 2024, the day before his 32nd birthday, he was within range of three surveillance towers equipped with cameras and AI to automatically detect and track people.
If the system worked as intended, Morales should have been apprehended. If he needed medical help, agents were trained to provide it. None of that happened.
Instead, Morales died just 360 feet from the closest tower. It was local landfill workers, rather than Border Patrol, who first spotted him. An autopsy concluded that he had died of “environmental exposure.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in