Surveillance towers at US border fail to prevent deaths, investigation finds

MIT Technology Review's 15-month investigation, published as part of the Dying on Camera collaboration, found that people died in areas along the US-Mexico border that were supposed to be monitored by surveillance towers. The US spent billions on this 'virtual wall,' yet some people walked undetected through surveilled areas, according to the reporting.

Reporters built what they describe as the first comprehensive map of deaths near the virtual wall. The map shows deaths occurring close to the towers, raising questions about whether the technology is meeting its purpose. The investigation also outlines four ways to address the failures it documented.

The three articles are drawn from the same investigation and are consistent with one another. They do not offer competing findings; instead, they present the core reporting, the methodology, and the proposed fixes as separate pieces.