By design? Nearly 30% of cameras in the Border Patrol's primary surveillance system are NOT WORKING

WASHINGTON, D.C. - An internal agency memo sent out to its employees in early October stated that nearly one-third of the cameras in the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) primary surviellance system along the U.S.-Mexico border were not working, depriving border agents of a crucial tool in combating immigrants from illegally crossing the southern border.

According to NBC News, the Border Patrol memo obtained by the news outlet, was sent to a sector of agents along the southern border. It said, in part, "The nationwide issue is having significant impacts on [Border Patrol] operations." The memo states that the large-scale outage affects roughly 150 of the 500 cameras perched on surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

The outage, as noted by the memo, was "due to several technical problems." Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, blamed outdated equipment and outstanding repair issues for the current situation. The camera systems, known as Remote Video Surveillance Systems, have been used since 2011 to "survey large areas without having to commit hundreds of agents in vehicles to perform the same function."

However, the memo said that 30 percent of those cameras were inoperable. The memo does not indicate when the cameras stopped working, so it is anyone's guess how long agents have been without. Two CBP officials said that some repairs have recently been made, but that there are still over 150 outstanding requests for camera repairs. This is an issue because the officials said that there are some areas that are not visible to Border Patrol because of the broken cameras, thereby leaving parts of the border susceptible to more illegal border crossings.

A CBO spokesperson said that the agency has installed roughly 300 new towers that use more advanced technology. The spokesperson said, "CBP continues to install newer, more advanced technology that embrace artificial intelligence and machine learning to replace outdated systems, reducing the need to have agents working non-interdiction functions."

In a post on Facebook, the Border Patrol union in Laredo, Texas, told its members that it shares their "concerns that inoperable camera towers along the border are causing serious officer safety and border security concerns." The post, dated for October 11th, added, "We hope this issue is resolved soon as the problem has been ongoing for quite some time! The American taxpayer has made significant investments in technology along the border, and they expect that this technology is operational."

In contrast, the internal memo obtained by NBC News blames a different federal agency of the problem at hand. The memo blames the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA reportedly services the systems and repairs. The agency has had internal problems meeting the needs of the Border Patrol, as noted by the memo. The memo did not elaborate on what those internal issue are.

Border Patrol leaders are considering replacing the FAA with a contractor that can provide "adequate technical support for the cameras." A third CBP official said that the agency is trying to fix a significant problem that has not been properly managed for the last 20 years.

NBC News said that the Department of Homeland Security's budget request to Congress, via the White House, has routinely asked for more money to restore surveillance systems along the border, however, House Republicans blocked a bipartisan bill this year that would have significantly improved surveillance systems, hired additional agents, and resumed border all construction. According to the Post Millennial, that bill, even if it was passed, would have still allowed at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants into the country every year.