U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez, a Democrat from Illinois, has announced plans to introduce new legislation aimed at ending the federal government's surveillance tower program along the U.S. southern border. This proposal comes in response to a recent investigative report by MIT Technology Review titled "Dying on Camera," which looked into deaths that occurred near these towers. The report found that nearly one in four deaths analyzed between 2015 and early 2026 happened within the range of the towers. It also revealed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not track these deaths or other performance metrics related to the towers. Ramirez, who is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, referenced the MIT Technology Review's findings, stating that “nearly 1,100 people have died within range of a billion-dollar surveillance tower system between 2015 and 2026.” She criticized the towers, saying, “The towers that we have paid a billion dollars to just don't work.” Ramirez’s proposed legislation, called the Reimagining Safety Act, was developed in collaboration with community organizations, local and state representatives, and advocacy groups such as Just Futures Law and Mijente. These groups previously released a report on the technology used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which contributed to the push to end the border tower program. The legislation is part of a broader proposal to replace the Department of Homeland Security with a new Department of Community Safety. Under this plan, functions currently managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and customs operations would be moved to other existing federal agencies. Ramirez’s office has not yet released the full text of the proposed legislation, stating it will be made public in the coming weeks. Public support for abolishing ICE has grown in recent years, especially following the Trump administration’s high-profile enforcement operations, the expansion of detention facilities, and incidents involving ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. For example, last weekend, Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, a delivery driver, was shot in the back by an ICE agent in Austin, Texas. Ramirez, however, argues that simply abolishing ICE is not enough. At a press conference in Chicago, she stated, “There's no question that DHS has to be dismantled. We need to provide them a road map in how we do it.” While this is not the first proposal to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security, previous attempts have not gained significant traction in Congress. Many lawmakers, including some Democrats, prefer reforming the department rather than abolishing it entirely. Ramirez, however, holds a key position on the House committee that oversees DHS and is the ranking member on the committee’s cybersecurity subcommittee. She emphasized that the legislation seeks to limit state surveillance, curb unlawful data practices, and establish a separate civil immigration system. As of now, DHS and CBP have not responded to requests for comment on the proposed legislation.