Drones Tested to Patrol US-Mexico Border

Reuters ^ | Oct. 10, 2003 | Reuters

[tomball]

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - The United States is testing pilotless drone aircraft, used in Iraq and Afghanistan, on the U.S.-Mexico border where they might be deployed to detect drug traffickers and illegal immigrants, a government spokesman said on Friday.

The Department of Homeland Security is conducting tests of the unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, in remote areas of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, Mario Villarreal, spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, told Reuters.

"The UAVs, which have played an important role for the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, are under consideration for use by the Department of Homeland Security," Villarreal said.

They are being deployed from Fort Huachuca and Gila Bend, Arizona, for test flights in remote areas of the desert that have become well-known corridors for narcotics trafficking and immigrant smuggling.

Drone aircraft were used for aerial photography and spy missions during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They are the latest of the military-style hardware and techniques to be used on the 2,000-mile border, where homeland defense has been beefed up since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Agents also use American Eurocopter AS350 "A-Star" helicopters with on-board, satellite tracking systems and infrared, night vision capabilities to track illegal activity.

[nwrep]

FINALLY!!

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[F.J. Mitchell]

Yippee!!!! Now we will know just where to send the Welcome wagon to meet them, with hot coffee, donuts and a California drivers license.

[F-117A]

Are they going to be armed with missles like the ones in Yemen?

[eeman]

They are are going to be armed with water bottles for the thirsty illegal (oops, I mean undocumented) border crossers. It is Karl Rove's idea to attratct Hispanic voters to the GOP. /sarcasm

[Pelham]

ping

[SevenDaysInMay]

Until we have volunteers patrolling in modern updates of our greatest warbirds, fully armed P-51s et al., with shoot to kill orders along our borders, we face more mass murder and corrption of our Rule of Law as the United States of America surrenders its national sovereignty to our mortal enemies with millions more criminal aliens swarming across our national borders.

We are being ruled by political dealing fiat in and out of blackrobes rather than governed pursuant to our ratified Constitution.

[stumpy]

We need to put a few million "bouncing bettys" along BOTH borders. That will cut down the number getting through.