A new high-tech aerostat blimp has been launched in the desert of southern New Mexico to help the U.S. Border Patrol agents find groups of migrants crossing the border wall.
The blimp, equipped with advanced cameras and technology, will also help agents find people in danger, such as those who have fallen or gotten lost in the desert, according to the Border Report.
Juarez, Mexico-Santa Teresa, New Mexico, desert stretch is one of the busiest routes for migrant smuggling 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 reported deaths since June have happened in the desert, where migrants, unfamiliar with the area, get lost while trying to reach smugglers’ pickup spots or are left behind by their “foot guides” when they can’t keep up with the group.
The cameras installed in the Tactical Aerostat System blimp, which is stationed at the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station, can automatically focus and track a group as soon as any crossing is detected, as per the Border Report.
It can then send information to operators, who further forward the details to border agents to stop illegal crossings or search for migrants in danger.
The officials allowed the reporters to take pictures of the blimp on Monday. However, the authorities did not answer questions about its size or whether its cameras can 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 Linea, La Empresa and the Sinaloa cartel, according to law enforcement.
La Empresa is the most active group in the Santa Teresa area, and U.S. officials are currently prosecuting suspects connected to migrant stash houses found in nearby Sunland Park, New Mexico. These stash houses have been linked to La Empresa in court documents.
The police in Mexico’s Chihuahua city said last month that they have rescued 1,245 migrants from criminal gangs over the past seven months.
Last month, a report mentioned that there was a surge in “unnecessary” family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, adding that migrants were being mistreated while in U.S. Border Patrol custody.
