Representative Delia Ramirez (D-IL) has announced plans to introduce the Reimagining Safety Act, which would terminate the surveillance tower program along the US southern border. The move follows an MIT Technology Review investigation that found nearly one in four border deaths between 2015 and early 2026 occurred within the advertised range of these towers. Ramirez, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, cited the report's count of roughly 1,100 deaths and said the billion-dollar system "just doesn't work."
The legislation goes beyond abolishing the towers, proposing to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security entirely and replace it with a new Department of Community Safety. Functions like FEMA, TSA, and customs would shift to other existing agencies. Ramirez framed the bill as part of a broader push to curb militarized enforcement and create a separate civil immigration system, developed with advocacy groups Just Futures Law and Mijente. The full text has not yet been released.
Similar proposals have stalled in Congress before, and this one faces steep odds: some Democrats prefer reforming DHS rather than abolishing it. Ramirez, however, holds key committee positions that could give the bill a platform. DHS and CBP did not respond to requests for comment on the tower program's performance or the proposed legislation.