NEWS · COMPANIES · #736
Investigation finds 1,050+ deaths occurred within range of CBP’s AI-enabled Anduril towers
A joint MIT Technology Review and Times of San Diego investigation mapped nearly 4,000 locations of human remains against about 600 CBP surveillance towers and found more than 1,050 deaths within the advertised range of those towers between 2015 and early 2026, including over 110 near modern Anduril autonomous towers; many deaths occurred despite towers’ AI detection and were not intercepted. The reporting highlights specific cases—such as José Morales Bernal, who died within feet of three Anduril towers—and a topographical and timing analysis showing failures across roughly two-thirds of towers studied.
KEY POINTS
- A joint MIT Technology Review and Times of San Diego investigation mapped nearly 4,000 locations of human remains against about 600 CBP surveillance towers and found more than 1,050 deaths within the advertised range of those towers between 2015 and early 2026, including over 110 near modern Anduril autonomous towers; many deaths occurred despite towers’ AI detection and were not intercepted.
- The reporting highlights specific cases—such as José Morales Bernal, who died within feet of three Anduril towers—and a topographical and timing analysis showing failures across roughly two-thirds of towers studied.
- The finding that many deaths occurred within range of AI-equipped surveillance towers raises material questions about the real-world effectiveness, deployment limits, and humanitarian consequences of CBP’s AI-driven border surveillance.
WHY IT MATTERS
The finding that many deaths occurred within range of AI-equipped surveillance towers raises material questions about the real-world effectiveness, deployment limits, and humanitarian consequences of CBP’s AI-driven border surveillance.