Border Security Technology Gathering Holds First Meeting, Get Briefing on Immigration Data Collection and Monitoring

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The bipartisan Border Security Technology Conference met for the first time Tuesday and heard a presentation on how law enforcement agencies use data to meet border security needs.

The assembly’s job is to inform Congress of available technologies to improve and enhance border security.

U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez, a McAllen Democrat, co-founded the caucus with U.S. Representative Tony Gonzalez of Texas, whose county stretches from San Antonio to El Paso and includes 800 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, and most of all border regions. The other founding members are Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Chuck Fleishman, R-Tn.

Gonzalez, in early April, told Border Report that he believes there are emerging technologies that can help law enforcement personnel better patrol and monitor the southern border with Mexico.

“Now is the time to implement smart and effective methods to enhance the security of our borders,” Gonzalez said on Tuesday. “There is nothing biased about keeping our blue and green men and women safe, and nothing biased about securing our borders in a cost-effective and technologically advanced way. I look forward to our continued work that will result from this two-party gathering and the real change we can make in our border communities. “.

On Tuesday, Orbital Insight, a geospatial analytics company based in Palo Alto, California, gave a presentation on how data can help law enforcement better monitor and collect data about migration across our borders.

According to its website, Orbital Insight analyzes satellite, drone, balloon and other imagery of unmanned aerial vehicles, including mobile geolocation data, to study a range of human activities, providing business and strategic insights from the data.

When former President Donald Trump talked about building a wall, Gonzalez insisted on a wall with the latest technology with Aerostats, cameras and sensors to help the shoes land, Gonzalez told Border Report.

“We have the resources. We have the people. We have the technology, and I think we have to use the best technology on our southern border, and I think that is 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 that border security is a bipartisan priority and requires bipartisan cooperation.

The Border Security Technology Consortium will bring together a coalition of lawmakers from across the political spectrum to ensure that the United States is at the forefront of technological developments. By forming this gathering, they said, we will provide insight and cooperation in Congress that will protect the American people, customs agents and border patrols, and our national security. “We look forward to paving the way for legislation that will improve US immigration enforcement and bring our border security strategy into the 21st century.”