EL PASO, Texas – As of this week, eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles known as Strykers have been deployed to the border for the first time in more than a decade as part of the Pentagon’s support of Customs and Border Protection.
Fox News got the exclusive first look at these vehicles and how the U.S. is using them.
According to Border Patrol, two are now stationed in the El Paso sector, with more Strykers expected to be deployed to other areas along the border in the next few weeks.
One of the Strykers is positioned to give a bird’s-eye view over Juárez, Mexico, a major smuggling corridor known for its high number of “gotaways,” illegal migrants who manage to escape border patrol agents.
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The Strykers at the border are not weaponized, the military says. (Fox News)
“This is traditionally one of the busiest areas in the entire country,” U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Hamid Nikseresht said.
Typically, these Strykers are used in combat and can be equipped with cannons or machine guns to fight enemies.
However, the Strykers at the border are not equipped with weapons, and the military told Fox News it had no plans of doing so.
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Instead, the Strykers are being used here to assist Border Patrol agents with surveillance, detecting illegal migrants.
“One of the main things that it provides is the surveillance capability with it,” U.S. Army Sgt. Carlos Zamora said. “Once anything pops up, we just call Border Patrol and then they roll up on us and make the arrest,” Zamaro said.
The Strykers have infrared capabilities to see up to two miles out, detecting illegal migrants whom agents may not see.
The Strykers are supporting the Department of Homeland Security. (Fox News)
“Our purpose here is to support the Department of Homeland Security in their mission, and as we do that, we have our capabilities with our optics,” Lt. Colonel Chad Campbell of the 1-41 Infantry Battalion said. “We have both day and night optics. We can see pretty far.”
The massive military vehicles are being used not only for detection, but also as a deterrent.
On Thursday of this week, Border Patrol agents in the El Paso Sector reported just 32 encounters, compared to 1,134 encounters on the same day in 2024.
As for why these massive and expensive vehicles would be deployed to the border when numbers are at their lowest in years, Border Patrol agents said they wanted to make sure the numbers don’t rise again.
Fox News got a first-hand look at the deterrence and detection vehicles. (Fox News)
“The goal is zero,” Nikseresht said. “We’re not there yet, so we’re going to do everything we possibly can to get us to that point and bring in every resource we possibly can. . . . What better way to send that message than to bring in a 55,000-pound armored vehicle with detection capabilities, maneuverability capabilities, force transportation capabilities that by far exceed anything else that we currently have in our repertoire?”
Border patrol agents told Fox News that cartels have had trouble finding migrants to smuggle across the border, because few have wanted to risk paying thousands of dollars just to get deported.
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“Let me tell you a story we just heard this morning,” Nikseresht said. “Two people walked up to the fence as if they were getting ready to cross. They looked up the hill. They saw this massive vehicle sitting on top of the hill, and they turned around, and they walked away. You know what that says? That means cartels are scared. That means gangs are scared. They’re scared to come into the United States illegally. They’re scared to enter, because they know they will be detected, and they know there will be a consequence applied once they do.”
