Last Updated on 10/09/2024 by Arun jain
A new high-tech aerostat blimp has been launched into the desert of southern New Mexico to help US Border Patrol agents track groups of migrants crossing the border wall.
Equipped with advanced cameras and technology, the blimp will also help agents locate people in danger, such as those who have fallen or become lost in the desert. Border Report.
The Juarez, Mexico-Santa Teresa, New Mexico, desert stretch is the busiest migrant smuggling route between Far West Texas and the New Mexico-Arizona border.
Since October 2023, more than 171 migrants have died while crossing the border, compared to 143 in the last financial year. Most of the deaths reported since June have occurred in the desert, where migrants, unfamiliar with the area, get lost trying to reach smugglers’ pickup spots or are left behind by their “foot guides” when they can’t keep up. group
According to the Border Report, cameras installed in the Tactical Aerostat System blimp, which is stationed at the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station, can automatically focus and track the group as soon as any crossing is detected.
It can then send the information to operators, who pass the details on to border agents to stop illegal crossings or detect migrants at risk.
Officials on Monday allowed reporters to take pictures of the blimp. However, authorities did not respond to questions about its size or whether its cameras could see into Mexico, where smugglers operate and help migrants cross the border using ladders.
A picture of the blimp was shared on X.
Three transnational criminal organizations control migrant smuggling in Juarez: La Line, La Empresa and the Sinaloa cartel, according to law enforcement.
La Empresa is the most active group in the Santa Teresa area, and US authorities are currently prosecuting suspects linked to migrant houses found in nearby Sunland Park, New Mexico. Court documents have linked the stash house to La Empresa.
Police in Chihuahua City, Mexico said Last month that they have rescued 1,245 migrants from criminal gangs in the past seven months.
A report last month mentioned There was an increase in “unnecessary” family separations at the US-Mexico border, adding that migrants were mistreated while in US Border Patrol custody.
This story first appeared on Latin Times
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