‘Goal Is to Have Zero Gotaways’

U.S. Border Patrol has deployed armored military vehicles along sections of the southern border as part of a broader effort to enhance surveillance and prevent unauthorized crossings.

The deployment includes M1126 Stryker vehicles equipped with advanced detection technology, which federal officials say will help track movement and coordinate responses with law enforcement.

“This sends a clear and unequivocal message to the criminal organizations operating on either side of the border that we will not tolerate illegal incursions or illicit activities,” said Border Patrol spokesman Claudio Herrera-Baeza to Border Report. The eight-wheeled Stryker, used previously in combat zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan, features electronic sensors, radar, and infrared equipment that can detect movement day or night.

The first two vehicles were deployed this week in southern New Mexico, an area known for migrant smuggling activity while others have been sent to the Big Bend region of Texas. Their arrival follows a broader order by the U.S. Department of Defense announced in early March to send roughly 3,000 active-duty troops to the border, including members of the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson, Colorado.

The Department of Defense described the move back then as necessary to “reinforce and expand current border security operations to seal the border and protect the territorial integrity of the United States.”

Lt. Col. Chad Campbell, who commands the battalion deploying the Strykers, emphasized to Border Report their role is limited to detection and monitoring, not law enforcement:

“Our deployment reinforces protecting our nation’s territorial integrity by providing critical detection and monitoring capabilities to support border security operations. Stryker support enhances CBP’s and the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to focus on law enforcement actions to strengthen border security”

Orlando Marrero-Rubio, a Border Patrol agent in the El Paso Sector, also told Border Report that the technology in the Strykers will improve response times and ensure fewer individuals evade capture. He noted that in the first 48 hours of the Strykers’ deployment in New Mexico, the agency recorded zero “gotaways”, a term that refers to migrants who evade capture after crossing. “Our goal is to have zero gotaways, zero illegal crossings,” he stated.

The deployment has drawn criticism from some lawmakers and advocacy groups who raised concerns about costs and whether the military’s role could interfere with its primary readiness missions. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, while acknowledging the need for border security, described the deployment back in February as “just an expensive band-aid” rather than a long-term solution.