Border Patrol agents to stop wearing body cameras amid new ‘security threats’

Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will no longer wear body cameras during field operations after a social media post publicized how to identify individual agents.

According to a statement from CBP to NewsNation, all U.S. Border Patrol Agents will cease the use of body-worn cameras (BWC) in all operational environments. This decision comes after a post on Reddit highlighted the mobile application BLE Radar’s ability to track CBP body cameras from a distance of 100 yards and potentially trigger improvised explosive devices.

CBP officials quickly issued a directive to inform agents of the potential security risk and immediately pulled body cameras from use in the field. The directive stated, “Pending completion of investigation and risk mitigation, all Agents will stand down the use of their BWCs [body-worn cameras] until further notice. Additional guidance and information will be disseminated as it is received.”

Sources revealed that CBP agents use Avon body cams, which the social media post claims can be detected by BLE Radar, developed by F-Droid.

This development coincides with increased enforcement efforts by both CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents following President Donald Trump’s return to office. Notably, the daily average of gotaways, or illegal immigrants who successfully enter the U.S. without being apprehended, at the southern border has dropped significantly to just 132 per day, marking a 93% decrease from previous highs under former President Joe Biden.

During the fiscal year 2023, CBP recorded 670,674 known gotaways, averaging more than 1,800 per day. Despite these statistics, CBP did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Michael Lee, a writer for Fox News, has a background in political coverage, having worked for publications such as the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America for over eight years.