
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) is demanding that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas address concerns about the broken border surveillance cameras along the southwest U.S. border. Green has requested detailed information about the operational status of the Remote Video Surveillance System (RVSS) towers, which help monitor the 2,000-mile stretch along the southern border.
A recent report revealed that about one-third of the cameras are currently malfunctioning. Green’s letter to Mayorkas sets a deadline of 5 p.m. on October 23 for DHS to provide documents and updates on the system. The failure of these cameras, according to Green, limits Border Patrol agents’ ability to detect and respond to illegal crossings, which may also lead to undercounting the number of known “gotaways”—individuals who illegally enter the U.S. without being detected.
The House committee obtained information from internal DHS sources, confirming that two-thirds of the cameras have gone offline without repair. This has significantly weakened border security operations. Additionally, an internal review by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discovered that several contractors working on the camera system were not properly vetted. According to Green’s office, some of the workers were not listed in CBP’s system, and CBP was unable to verify that certain individuals were even U.S. citizens.
Green is pushing for answers as the lack of surveillance technology along the border remains a critical concern in ongoing efforts to address illegal immigration and border security.