The southern border is finally locked down like it should have been all along. Democrats can howl on Capitol Hill and clutch their pearls on cable news about “mass repatriations” and “inhumane enforcement,” but that noise is just one more reason their party is polling somewhere between toxic waste and expired milk. While they complain, President Trump is doing what every president before him promised and failed to do: actually securing the border.
Nowhere was the problem more stubborn than Texas’ Big Bend region, a longtime playground for smugglers and cartel runners. For years, Washington shrugged while Border Patrol agents were stretched thin across unforgiving terrain. Not anymore. New surveillance technology has turned that once-lawless corridor into a hostile environment for illegal crossings — and surprise, surprise, crossings have collapsed:
The sector this week unveiled a first-of-its-kind advanced vehicle barrier system, the GRAB 350, at the Sierra Blanca immigration checkpoint. The checkpoint is located at a critical enforcement location along Interstate 10 in Hudspeth County roughly 90 miles east of El Paso.
It is the first of its kind to be deployed at any of the 45 permanent Border Patrol checkpoints nationwide, CBP says.
The GRAB 350 is a new semi-autonomous vehicle barrier system that combines an energy absorbing ground-retractable barrier with an in-ground tire-shredding system designed to stop extremely large high-speed vehicles.
It sounds like a high-tech spike strip for cartel traffic — and that’s exactly the point. Interstate 10 is one of the main east-west arteries for smuggling, just as I-25 is a north-south pipeline for human trafficking, drugs, and stolen goods. Sure, a lone pickup can sneak through back roads and goat trails. But the big money runs on highways. Tractor-trailers, cargo vans, organized transport — that’s how cartels move volume.
And that’s precisely where GRAB 350 shines. This isn’t symbolic enforcement or some feel-good “monitoring program.” It’s a targeted weapon against the logistics backbone of illegal trafficking. Instead of chasing migrants through brush while smugglers laugh their way down the interstate, law enforcement is now choking off the supply routes where it actually hurts.
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This is what border security is supposed to look like:
“Interstate 10 is a major artery connecting communities across the country. When someone attempts to bypass an immigration checkpoint, they are putting innocent motorists and our agents at serious risk,” Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Lloyd Easterling said. “This system allows us to stop and contain those threats in a controlled environment, before they become dangerous pursuits on public roadways.”
“From a public safety perspective, the technology is designed to reduce the likelihood of high-speed chases, collisions, injuries and loss of life. From an agent safety standpoint, it increases distance and control during enforcement actions and minimizes the need for close-contact vehicle interventions,” CBP said in a statement.
So, we’re talking risk mitigation – a very good thing.
The company that produces the GRAB 350 is Global Grab, which has a history of making these types of barriers. You can see their page on the GRAB 350 here. The company’s information on this system says:
The GRAB 350 “Less-than-Lethal” Active Vehicle Barrier System is designed, engineered, and manufactured based on the input of Customs, Border and Law Enforcement Professionals and real-world Land Border Port of Entry vehicle “Port Running” incidents.
The patent pending GRAB 350 system is designed to deter, safely stop, and effectively contain intentional and unintentional vehicle “Port Runners” within the perimeter of the Port of Entry or checkpoint, thereby eliminating the need for high-speed chases.
The message to would-be illegal border crossers couldn’t be clearer if it were flashing in neon: you’re not getting in.
Not today. Not tomorrow. Not through the ports. Not through the desert. Not through the rivers. Not sneaking through the brush at 3 a.m. Not riding in a cartel-run tractor-trailer. Not marching in a caravan. Not slipping in alone.
However you plan to try it — we’re going to stop you.
This is what actual border enforcement looks like when the federal government decides to do its job. Border Patrol agents on the ground. Sensors in the dirt. Eyes in the sky. Highway interdiction units choking off smuggling routes. Technology that doesn’t just watch the border, but controls it.
In just one year, the Trump administration has taken a border that Biden turned into a lawless free-for-all and brought it back under control. Crossings are down. Smuggling routes are collapsing. The cartels are losing money. And the message is spreading fast.
The border is closed.
Now if only some of the blue-state mayors and governors could figure out how to bring that same concept to their own crime-ridden cities…
