DEL RIO, Texas () U.S.-Mexico border security isn’t solely reliant on law enforcement and physical barriers, advanced technology plays a key role.

Surveillance cameras and drones give border officials an advantage to fight smuggling and drug trafficking. Yet, a significant challenge remains: Data-sharing silos.

High tech transforms border security

Different agencies are working together to vet, detect and deter undocumented immigrants, yet there are issues in sharing communication. They rely on WhatsApp groups to share info, which isn’t effective enough.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uses Edie, a mobile app that takes fingerprints and photos and verifies a person’s identity through the FBI’s Next Generation Identification System within 30 seconds. However, the data collected isn’t shared across agencies, limiting its effectiveness.

In a statement to Tuesday, Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, stressed the need for “every tool in the fight” to secure the nation’s border.

“Advanced tech like AI, machine learning, and remote sensing can help our Border Patrol agents track and stop smugglers before they ever get a chance to traffic drugs, crime, and people into our country,” he said.

ICE has had access to inmate databases since 2017, but organizing and prioritizing the vast amounts of data remains a challenge, according to a former senior official under the Biden administration.

House committee zeroes in on border technology

During a Cybersecurity Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, former ICE field office director John Fabbricatore said while cartels exploited the CBP One app, it can be expanded and used in reverse to either find them or give them a pathway to self-deport. He believes AI will be transformative.

“AI is going to be groundbreaking for us. But we’re always going to need that human element, because getting human intelligence out of someone else right now is not easily done just with AI. You still need that case agent to be able to look in the eyes of the person that’s sitting in front of them to develop that human intel,” Fabbricatore said.

Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., also emphasized the importance of fast data sharing between countries to track potential threats.

“Let’s get technology to our agents, to our security system, faster rather than later,” Correa said. “How do you know when a suspected terrorist, a suspected individual with a certain history hits the Americas? Well, you work with other countries to find out what the travel logs are, specific airlines across the Americas. You get that information to the U.S. We digest it. That’s the way we know. That’s the way we keep America safe.”

Cartels weaponize drones

While U.S. authorities rely on aerial surveillance, sources told that Mexican cartels have better drones and capabilities. Cartels are also using bomb-wielding drones and signal jammers to disrupt U.S. operations.

CBP said it is using a multi-layered approach, incorporating advanced technology to strengthen border security, including artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The CBP One app, started in 2019 under Trump, was expanded to allow over a million people into the U.S., but critics point out its lack of vetting.