The Obama administration is placing the lives of U.S. Border Patrol agents at risk by delaying the renewal of outdated surveillance equipment, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Most recently, a faulty ground sensor sent a false alarm to Border Patrol agents who rushed to a remote canyon Oct. 2 and opened fire on each other. One agent was killed, another injured.
The incident has caused concern among federal law enforcement because the network of more than 12,800 ground sensors is deteriorating and in need of updates, the LA Times reported.
That was supposed to happen under a $1.5 billion Arizona Border Surveillance Technology Plan over the next decade, according to the LA Times.
The federal government “must replace outdated sensors with more modern, effective technology that can assist the Border Patrol in securing our borders while not sending agents into the field unnecessarily,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee.
