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SEARCHDespite new technologies introduced to help police the border, Border Patrol agents catch only about one-third of the estimated 3 million people who illegally cross the border between Mexico and the United States each year.
Despite new technologies introduced to help police the border, Border Patrol agents catch only about one-third of the estimated 3 million people who illegally cross the border between Mexico and the United States each year.
New technology that helps agents do their job includes underground sensors, remote video cameras, unmanned aerial vehicles, and radiation detectors. But they’re not enough.
And with an increased number of OTM, or “other than Mexican,” border crossers, the Department of Homeland Security worries that potential terrorists from various foreign countries may be sneaking through undetected.
Border Patrol agents say the money Bush’s 2006 budget would set aside for purchasing more high-tech equipment to catch those crossing the border illegally would help, but they still need more manpower to really get the job done. And although Congress had planned to hire 2,000 Border Patrol over the next five years, Bush’s budget would only fund the hiring of 210.
