While much of the talk about border security has centered on a wall, the Border Patrol has been testing a high-tech alternative in South Texas, News Radio 1200 WOAI has learned.
For about two months, agents have been experimenting with what is basically a giant balloon with cameras attached, as a way to send interdiction teams to stop the smugglers who are bringing immigrants across the border.
Monica Weisberg-Stewart with the Texas Border Coalition says this is what they've been asking for.
"We would like true security not a false sense of security," she tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI. "This is one of those types of measures that could give us a true sense of security."
The group has long rallied against the border wall proposal, which is going full throttle under President Donald Trump. On Monday, he insisted that funding be included in the spending bill for the next fiscal year.
"Drugs are pouring across our border. We're stopping it, but we need a wall to really stop it. We need a wall in this country," he said. "You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. We have to have a wall, so that's going to be part of it."
But groups like the TBC feel the wall is a passive form of deterrence that gives an illusion of security. They want high tech solutions, especially in areas of Texas where there already is a natural barrier.
"We're getting a bigger bang for our buck by looking at technology that would give us a better return on investment," Weisberg-Stewart says.
The balloons, made by Drone Aviation Holding, are quick to launch and can easily be moved to where smuggling is happening. Those are two downfalls of the giant Aerostats that the Border Patrol is also using, which cost $3.3 million a year to operate.
The Border Patrol has also been testing drones on the border, but the battery power limits how long they can be in the air. The WASP balloons are cheaper and can be used for a longer time.