The US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?

What moved

When José Morales Bernal crossed the border into the United States on April 8, 2024, the day before his 32nd birthday, it should have triggered a chain of technological alerts and human responses. As he walked through the desert in southern New Mexico that morning, he was within range of three surveillance towers. Newly installed… MIT Review issued this as an official post on 2026-09-21. The desk files the title and summary from the allow-listed official source, not a rewrite.

Why it matters

When José Morales Bernal crossed the border into the United States on April 8, 2024, the day before his 32nd birthday, it should have triggered a chain of technological alerts… That is a public note from MIT Review, dated 2026-09-21.

On the record

• Filed from the MIT Review official RSS on 2026-09-21.
• Primary source host: technologyreview.com.
• When José Morales Bernal crossed the border into the United States on April 8, 2024, the day before his 32nd birthday, it should have triggered a chain of technological alerts and human responses.