The U.S. spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?

The United States has invested billions of dollars into border surveillance technology to monitor crossings. On April 8, 2024, José Morales Bernal entered the U.S. through the southern New Mexico desert. Despite being within the range of three newly installed surveillance towers, the technological alerts and human responses failed to prevent his death. This incident raises critical questions regarding why expensive surveillance systems cannot detect and rescue individuals before they perish in the desert.