Delia Ramirez, a Democratic US representative from Illinois, has announced plans to introduce legislation to terminate the surveillance tower program along the US southern border. The announcement follows an MIT Technology Review investigation, “Dying on Camera,” which found that nearly one in four deaths analyzed between 2015 and early 2026 occurred within the towers' advertised range. The Department of Homeland Security does not track these deaths or other metrics on the towers' success or failure.

Ramirez, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee, cited the reporting that nearly “1,100 people have died within range of a billion-dollar surveillance tower system between 2015 and 2026,” adding, “The towers that we have paid a billion dollars to just don’t work.” The legislation, the Reimagining Safety Act, was developed with community groups and local and state representatives, including Just Futures Law and Mijente.

The bill is part of a broader proposal to replace DHS with a new Department of Community Safety, moving CISA, FEMA, TSA, and customs functions to other agencies. Ramirez said, “There’s no question that DHS has to be dismantled. We need to provide them a road map in how we do it.” The proposal faces a steep uphill battle in Congress, where even some Democrats favor reform over dismantling. DHS and CBP did not offer an immediate response for comment.