A recent Customs and Border Protection memo warned that roughly 30% of the agency's cameras along the U.S.-Mexico border do not work. The memo, which was obtained by NBC News, warned that the lack of working cameras is "having significant impacts" on the Border Patrol's ability to keep the border secure.
The agency said that the Remote Video Surveillance System, which was installed in 2011, includes around 500 cameras positioned along the southern border. However, there are at least 150 cameras that are inoperable, leaving surveillance gaps along the border.
The memo said the outage was caused by "several technical problems" and a lack of timely repairs. CBP blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for failing to repair the cameras and is considering hiring an outside contractor to fix the broken cameras.
In addition, CPB officials told NBC News that the agency was also working to replace the outdated surveillance system with more advanced technology.
"CBP continues to install newer, more advanced technology that embraces artificial intelligence and machine learning to replace outdated systems, reducing the need to have agents working non-interdiction functions," a spokesperson said.