Border Patrol officials unveiled a new vehicle barrier system at a checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, far West Texas.
The GRAB 350 system was installed at the permanent Sierra Blanca checkpoint in Hudspeth County, 90 miles east of El Paso, and uses an “energy absorbing ground-retractable barrier” with a tire shredding system.
Officials hope the new barrier will stop vehicles from fleeing onto I-10, which leads west to California and east across the heart of Texas. Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Lloyd Easterling called the interstate a “major artery” between communities.
“When someone attempts to bypass an immigration checkpoint, they are putting innocent motorists and our agents at serious risk,” Easterling said in the release. “This system allows us to stop and contain those threats in a controlled environment, before they become dangerous pursuits on public roadways.”
Border Patrol will install the barriers at 45 permanent checkpoints across America.
The system is designed to stop “extremely large vehicles traveling at high rates of speed,” stopping real-world threats traveling more than 50 mph, according to the release.
Agents can deploy it remotely from a protected location, and it uses vehicle-detection sensors to prevent accidental activation. It is crash-certified by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
“This is not a pilot or a concept — it is a fully operational enforcement capability,” Easterling said. “We will use every appropriate tool available to protect the American public and our agents as we unapologetically enforce the law.”
The barriers are “less-than-lethal,” and only trained and certified agents will use them when necessary. Officials hope this will improve public safety by decreasing the likelihood of dangerous pursuits and improve agent safety by reducing the need for close contact with fleeing vehicles.
