EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The bipartisan Border Security Technology Caucus met for the first time on Tuesday and heard a presentation on how law enforcement can use data to meet the needs border security.
The mission of the caucus is to inform Congress of the technologies available to improve and strengthen border security.
U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat from McAllen, co-founded the caucus with U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, whose district stretches from San Antonio to El Paso and includes 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, the most important of all. border districts. Other founding members are Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tennessee.
Gonzalez in early April told Border Report he believes there are emerging technologies that could help law enforcement better patrol and monitor the southern border with Mexico.
“Now is the time to implement smart and effective methods to further secure our borders,” Gonzalez said Tuesday. “There’s nothing partisan about keeping our men and women in blue and green safe, and there’s nothing partisan about securing our border in a cost-effective, technologically advanced way. I look forward to the continued work that will flow from this bipartisan caucus and the real change we can bring to our border communities.
On Tuesday, Orbital Insight, a geospatial analytics company based in Palo Alto, Calif., delivered a presentation on how data can help law enforcement better monitor and collect migration data across our borders.
According to its website, Orbital Insight analyzes images from satellites, drones, balloons and other unmanned aerial vehicles, including cellphone geolocation data, to study a range of human activities, and provides insights commercial and strategic from the data.
When former President Donald Trump talked about building a wall, Gonzales insisted on a wall with advanced technology with aerostats, cameras and sensors to help boots on the ground, Gonzales told Border Report.
“We have the resources. We have the people. We have the technology, and I think we should use the best technology on our southern border, and I think that’s what will ultimately bring security to our region,” Gonzalez said.
Announcing the creation of the Border Security Technology Caucus, the four members of Congress said border security is a bipartisan priority that requires bipartisan cooperation.
“The Border Security Technology Caucus will bring together a coalition of lawmakers from all political backgrounds to ensure the United States is at the forefront of technological advancements. With the formation of this caucus, we will provide information and cooperation to Congress that will protect the American people, Customs and Border Patrol agents, and our national security,” they said. “We look forward to leading the way in legislation that will improve U.S. immigration enforcement and bring our border security strategy into the 21st century.”