The $15 million dollar border failure

Marine Inspector ^ | 02/11/2005 | Marine Inspector

[Marine Inspector]

Last year, the Department of Homeland Security began testing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles along the Arizona / Mexico border as part of its $15 million dollar Arizona Border Control Initiative.

From June through September, The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection began testing 2 Israeli made Hermes 450 UAV’s, which cost 2 million dollars each.

During this 4-month evaluation, the UAV’s helped the Border Patrol apprehend 965 illegal entrants and about 850 pounds of marijuana.

During that same 4-month period, June, July, August and September, the Border Patrol apprehended approximately 360,000 illegal entrants.

The Tucson Sector of the Border Patrol apprehends approximately 43% of the total southwest border apprehensions . This would equate to approximately 154,800 illegal entrants apprehended by the Tucson Sector during the 4-month UAV testing period.

Hence, the 4 million dollar UAV’s accounted for less then 1% of the Sectors total apprehensions. I’m not expert, but that does not sound cost effective.

But wait, it gets worse.

According to Paul Olski, director of aviation joint planning and development in the Department of Homeland Security, the Hermes spotted 853,000 people crossing the border during the evaluation period.

Now let’s connect these dots and put this information into perspective.

The UAV’s spotted 853,000 illegal entrants in the Tucson Sector, yet the Tucson Sector Border Patrol Agents only apprehended 154,800 of those illegal entrants.

Where did the other 698,200 illegal entrants go?

In a 4-month period, 698,200 illegal aliens made it into the United States, through Arizona alone and no one knows who they are, where they are or why they are here.

How many made it through the other 8 to 9 months? If the numbers stay the same, almost 2 million illegal aliens slipped through the Arizona / Mexico border

How many made it through California, New Mexico and Texas? No were talking another million or so. This is not fantasy; this is reality. This is what the Federal Government does not want you to know.

Some people want you to believe that no terrorists have crossed over the border with Mexico. How can anyone believe this? Does the Federal Government really expect me to believe an unskilled worker from Mexico or points south can sneak in undetected, but not a trained terrorist?

Simply incredible!

[Marine Inspector]

Your welcome!

[nicmarlo]

I've bookmarked it. It'll come in handy for future reference. Thanks for doing this. If I may be so bold as to suggest a future thread, or information added to this one, about the current state of affairs, such as machinery not working, not enough manpower on the ground to operate them, etc.? Or other things that you may be more aware of? Thanks (and crossing fingers). : )

[Lurker]

Awww waddya you know anyway. You're one of those disgruntled BP agents sinkspur and Dane are always telling us about.

Who are we gonna believe? Them or your lying eyes?

You know I'm just kidding you, right?

(people are kinda touchy around here lately, that's all.)

L

[Smartass]

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are great technology, but a small piece of the overall border defense puzzle. For the size of the Southern Borders, we need lots of human boots on the ground. A few UAVs flying around, and the small number of Border Patrol simple doesn't cut the mustard!

Face it, what we have now is woefully deficient, backward, and archaic. The whole system of protecting, apprehension, temporary incarceration, and deportation needs an extreme overhaul. Will we ever get it the whole taco, I have my doubts.

[kstewskis]

Well imagine that and thanks for the reminder....BUMP!!

[nicmarlo]

what we have now is woefully deficient, backward, and archaic. The whole system of protecting, apprehension, temporary incarceration, and deportation needs an extreme overhaul.

Absolutely! I pray we will get this long overdue overhaul. Border enforcement has been nothing but another type of shamnesty (no offense to our Border Control people...not their fault they're understaffed, underfunded, with arms tied behind their backs to boot for so many many years).

[Smartass]

Ah, we can't fault the Border Patrol guys/gals on the front lines.   Like all civil servants, they take and follow orders given from the top.   Presently, with their small numbers, are still doing an awesome, lonely, and dangerous job.   God Bless them.

 

[Marine Inspector]

You're one of those disgruntled BP agents sinkspur and Dane are always telling us about.

Actually, I'm a CBP Officer. We are often confused with CBP Border Patrol Agents.

We run the ports of entry, while the BP patrols between the ports of entry.

Anyway, what can you expect from those two and their uninformed group of friends.

[Marine Inspector]

Your welcome.

[nicmarlo]

Presently, with their small numbers, are still doing an awesome, lonely, and dangerous job. God Bless them.

And getting more dangerous all the time, I'm sure. God bless them all, Amen!!

[Lurker]

My apologies. I was unaware of your rank and title. I'll be sure to use the correct one from now on. No offense was intended and I most sincerely hope none was taken.

And in case no one has said it to you here lately, thanks. It's really got to suck watching those boneheads in DC screw up one of the 4 or 5 things they're actually Constitutionally mandated to do. I'm not sure I could take it.

Just for the record, I'm working late in the county EOC tonight. One of our duties is to monitor police and fire radios so we can dispatch our crews in the event of a major incident.

Most days it's just your usual beatings, shootings, stabbings, drug overdoses, domestic disputes, structure fires, DOAs and the like.

Tonight however the radio traffic was more interesting than usual. I was monitoring my towns PD when I heard the dispatcher call for multiple PD units and 3 ambulances because three vehicles had plowed into a group of people who were in their yard.

It wasn't one car, it wasn't two cars, it was three cars. Fortunately no one was killed as far as I know but several were taken to the hospital.

The suspects? Several male hispanics. Identifying characteristics? Of course there were. Several of them apparently had "13" tattoos. Officers on the scene said the witnesses reported shouts of "Trece!" just before they ran these people down.

I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky they didn't have AKs, not yet anyway, or that they decided on a mass machete attack as is MS-13s calling card.

But you know how it goes. I'm just supposed to sit down, shut up, and vote Republican no matter what kind of crap they try to shove down our throats.

According to a few folks around here if I withold my vote from the pro-abortion, anti-2nd, pro-illegal alien Republican running for Governor I might just as well be writing up the Articles of Impeachment and handing them to John Conyers myself.

Well I say fooey on that.

Sorry for popping in your direction but I'm getting really tired of this crap. If Clinton were pulling this garbage this place would be absolutely apoplectic. But since it's a Republican.....well you know.

Once again, sorry for getting the title wrong. It was an honest mistake and no attempt to slam you.

Thanks again for your hard work in a crappy job.

Semper Fi, mac.

L

[devolve]

[potlatch]

Bump

[FBD]

^

[Marine Inspector]

I know you did not intend to offend and none was taken.

Most folks think everyone working for CBP is border patrol and I was just making the correction. Not to play down the importance of my job or its difficulties and hardships, the BP has it much worst off then us CBP Officers working at the ports of entry.

I’ am also sick and tired of the name calling and accusations, because I refuse to vote for a candidate, just because they have an “R” next to their name.

RINO’s will never again get my vote. If a real conservative does not run, then I won’t vote. If the Dems gain power, then the fault lies with the Republican Party, not I.

Semper Fi,

MI

[dixiechick2000]

GOOD post!

BTTT!