6 January 2023. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has removed its controversial aerostat blimp from Nogales, Arizona, which was used for 24-hour border surveillance along the Mexico border. The removal of the aerostat, which had sparked privacy concerns, was confirmed by the CBP on January 1, 2023. The CBP stated that it will continue to leverage surveillance technology and explore new/emerging technology, such as autonomous surveillance towers (AST), to increase persistent surveillance of the border region. The CBP currently has 195 AST towers in operation, with over 80 additional planned for deployment, as well as 256 Remote Video Surveillance System – Upgrades (RVSS-U) and 75 RVSS Legacy sensor towers set to be upgraded in the fiscal year 2023. The total costs to operate and remove the aerostat are unclear. Source: KVOA.com