This high-tech aerostat will hover near the Santa Teresa port of entry in the El Paso sector, a region that has witnessed over 140 migrant fatalities since October.
According to Newsweek, these deaths are part of a broader pattern along the southwest border, where the harsh desert heat claims hundreds of lives annually as migrants attempt to cross between official ports of entry. For approximately a decade, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has employed these camera-equipped blimps as part of its surveillance strategy along the southwest border, keeping an eye out for smugglers, suspicious vehicles, and missing migrants.
August 15, 2024
Earlier this week, Senator Martin Heinrich and Representative Gabe Vasquez, both New Mexico Democrats, visited the crossing to assess the measures being implemented by border officials. "This technology is not only meant to apprehend folks that are crossing the border illegally; it's also meant to save lives," Rep. Vasquez stated. "We can do that effectively with various types of technology, including the aerostat which should come online next month right here at the Santa Teresa Border Patrol station."
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Senator Heinrich, who has spent years striving to modernize the port of entry, underscored the funding secured earlier this year to combat the Fentanyl trade. The primary objective of their visit was to promote their recently announced Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act.
"Last year, we lost more than 110,000 Americans to overdose deaths," the senator said in a press release. "Here in New Mexico, we have the 6th highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the entire country. Congressman Vasquez and I refuse to accept this reality — it's why we're working to deliver tools law enforcement personnel need to keep deadly fentanyl off our streets and out of our communities."
Earlier this year, the duo secured $400 million for inspection technology for CBP, which included funds for non-intrusive detection equipment capable of scanning vehicles entering and exiting the country for drugs. The proposed legislation aims to extend these efforts, utilizing new detection technology along the border to intercept incoming Fentanyl.
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However, Republicans were swift to criticize the visit to Santa Teresa, dismissing it as a political stunt. "Martin Heinrich spent years voting against security and safety, only to start acting like he cares weeks before an election because he's losing to someone who does care," Republican Senate candidate Nella Domenici said. "Heinrich has actively made our border crisis worse, with a dangerous voting record of opening our border and unleashing cartels and lethal drugs from China into our state."
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While the deployment of the aerostat and the proposed legislation underscore a commitment to border security and drug interdiction, the political divide on these issues remains evident. As the debate continues, the fate of the border, the migrants, and the communities affected by drug trafficking hangs in the balance.
