美国数十亿美元边境监控系统未能阻止大规模死亡

MIT科技评论与圣迭戈时报联合调查发现，尽管美国在南部边境投入数十亿美元部署由人工智能驱动的监控系统，但这些设施未能有效防止移民死亡。12调查涵盖2015年至2026年期间近4000处发现人类遗骸的地点和约600座监控塔，发现超过1050人在这些监控塔的覆盖范围内丧生。12024年4月8日，何塞·莫拉莱斯·贝尔纳尔在新墨西哥州Sunland Park附近死于环保境暴露，其遗体距离最近的监控塔仅360英尺。1调查显示，近三分之二的被分析的塔都发现了其覆盖范围内的死亡事件。1

这一系统性失效反映在多个方面。12023年政府估计803座塔的终身成本为62亿美元，政府计划在2034年前再投资10亿美元部署1497座塔。1然而，2024年众议院国土安全委员会成员指出超过66%的第一代监控塔不可用，尽管年度运营预算为5000万至1亿美元，至2026年1月仍有30%的塔处于故障状态。1在加州边境，圣迭戈地区的分析显示2022年至2025年间至少138人在监控塔范围内死亡，其中81人很可能在摄像头视野内。330岁的墨西哥妇女格拉谢拉·戈麦斯·埃尔南德斯于2025年9月14日越过边境后在加州山区因脱水死亡，其遗体发现地点距离一座通用动力公司制造的监控塔仅1英里，该塔配备电光和红外摄像机，可追踪5-7英里外的目标。3

众议院民主党议员德莱亚·拉米雷斯对此表示："AI驱动的监控技术并未使我们更安全，但国土安全部继续花费数百万纳税人的钱在这些无效的、疏忽的技术上。"1美国海关边境保护局对这些系统的失效缺乏正式的评估和调查机制。1

A joint investigation by MIT Technology Review and Times of San Diego has revealed that despite spending billions of dollars on AI-powered surveillance towers along the southern border, over 1,050 people have died within the coverage areas of these systems between 2015 and early 2026 1. The investigation, which analyzed nearly 4,000 cases of human remains discovered across the border region and examined approximately 600 surveillance towers, found systematic failures in detection and emergency response 12. In one example, Jose Morales Bernal died from environmental exposure on April 8, 2024, in Sunland Park, New Mexico, while stationed just 360 feet from the nearest surveillance tower 1.

The surveillance infrastructure has proven largely ineffective despite substantial investment. As of 2023, the government estimated that 803 towers would cost $6.2 billion over their lifetime, and the administration planned to spend an additional $1 billion before 2034 to deploy 1,497 more towers 1. However, approximately 66 percent of the first-generation surveillance towers were non-functional as of 2024, despite annual operating budgets ranging from $50 million to $100 million 1. By January 2026, 30 percent of towers remained in a state of disrepair 1. Additionally, Border Patrol does not disclose which alerts were triggered surrounding any migrant death, and surveillance footage is not retained unless an internal investigation is initiated 2.

The failure extends to modern systems as well. At least 110 people have died within coverage areas of surveillance towers manufactured by Anduril since 2021 1. In 2024 alone, 18 people died in a single desert segment covered by three Anduril towers, with five individuals dying within the direct line of sight of the tower closest to Morales 1. In another case, 30-year-old Graciela Gomez Hernandez crossed the border into California on September 14, 2025, and died of dehydration in the mountains; her body was discovered just one mile from a General Dynamics surveillance tower equipped with electro-optical and infrared cameras capable of tracking targets 5 to 7 miles away 3. Between 2022 and 2025, at least 138 migrant bodies were found within surveillance tower coverage areas in the San Diego region, with analysis indicating that at least 81 of these individuals likely died within camera view 3.

Congressional scrutiny has mounted over the program's ineffectiveness. Representative Delia Ramirez, a Democratic member of the House Homeland Security Committee, stated that "AI-powered surveillance technology has not made us safer, yet the Department of Homeland Security continues to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on these ineffective, negligent technologies" 1.