MIT Technology Review is reporting that U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Democrat from Illinois, has announced plans to introduce legislation to terminate the surveillance tower program along the southern border. It said the announcement came days after the outlet published an investigation, "Dying on Camera," examining deaths that occurred near one or more of the towers.
MIT Technology Review said it found that nearly one in four deaths it analyzed between 2015 and early 2026 took place within the towers' advertised range. It also reported that the Department of Homeland Security does not track those deaths or other metrics measuring the towers' success or failure.
Ramirez, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, cited the outlet's reporting that nearly 1,100 people died within range of the billion-dollar tower system between 2015 and 2026. She said the towers the government paid a billion dollars for simply do not work.
MIT Technology Review said the legislation, called the Reimagining Safety Act, was developed with community groups and local and state representatives. It said the advocacy organizations Just Futures Law and Mijente helped shape calls to end the program after issuing a joint report this year on technology used by ICE.
The outlet said the bill is intended as part of a broader proposal to replace the Department of Homeland Security with a new Department of Community Safety, while moving CISA, FEMA, TSA and customs functions to other federal agencies. It said Ramirez's office has not released the text, which is expected in coming weeks.
MIT Technology Review said the proposal faces a steep uphill battle in Congress, where some Democrats favor reforming rather than dismantling the department. It said DHS and CBP did not offer an immediate response for comment.
Full Article: A congressional representative just proposed killing America’s border tower program