Walking the line: Technology and the US Border Patrol – WCAX

SWANTON, Vt. -

A rare, inside look at the work of the men and women who secure our northern border. Our Tyler Dumont went on the job with the U.S. Border Patrol and found much of their work relies on secret, hidden technology.

The Canada-United States border is the longest international border between two countries in the world. The Vermont-based Swanton sector patrols 300 miles of it by land, water and air.

"We're looking for cross-border traffic between ports of entry," said Brad Brant of the U.S. Border Patrol.

But there are only so many agents and that's where this technology center comes in.

"Technology helps us cover more area with more people," Brant explained.

Based at the Swanton Border Patrol headquarters, it's known from days past as the "radio room." But it's clear here that technology has come a long way.

"We can use sensing systems that detect motion, we can use sensing systems that detect magnetic mass," Brant said.

High-tech sensors and cameras have become the Border Patrol's leading detection systems. They help the agency catch intruders illegally entering the U.S.

"There's an audio alert. The audio alert will key them to what they need to look at," Brant said.

Inside this room, there are constant notification sounds and constant communication. Dispatchers use cameras to determine what set off a sensor and if an agent needs to investigate it further. Staffed around the clock, the radio room can get busy.

"It's very busy in here. So we've got 300 miles of border, all these sensors, all these sensing systems all feeding back into here. And you've got two people acting as the nerve system of the sector," Brant said.

Workers in this center act as extra eyes and ears for agents in the field. They also help those field agents identify who they stop.

Border Patrol asked us not to show what cameras and sensors look like or their locations to maintain security. But they told us they're set up in more difficult terrain to cross the border where high-value smuggling is likely and in easier terrain where people willfully enter illegally.

While technology may help agents get ahead of illegal crossers, indicating where-- it doesn't identify who and why.

"It doesn't tell us what that person is, their criminal history, their background, what country they're from. So, we have to catch everybody to find out who we've caught," Brant said.

Watching backwoods, water boundaries, ports of entry and everything in between to keep our border secure.

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Walking the line: Technology and the US Border Patrol - WCAX