The US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?
This article details the specific case of José Morales Bernal, who died in the desert despite being within range of advanced AI-powered surveillance towers. It highlights the gap between the promised capabilities of border technology and the reality of its performance.
Why it matters
It provides a human-interest perspective on the technical failures of border surveillance systems.
Surveillance towers, increasingly powered by AI, promised faster responses to crossings. Our investigation of deaths near the towers found they are failing to deliver.
When José Morales Bernal crossed the border into the United States on April 8, 2024, the day before his 32nd birthday, it should have triggered a chain of technological alerts and human responses.
As he walked through the desert in southern New Mexico that morning, he was within range of three surveillance towers. Newly installed by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), they were built by the defense tech company Anduril and equipped with cameras and AI to automatically detect and track people. They transmit live video to nearby control rooms and can send alerts to the government-issued smartphones held by agents in the area, prompting the closest available to respond.
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