Border securitySix UAVs to patrol border from California to Texas
DHS secretary Janet Napolitano said that by the beginning of next year, the number of UAVs operating along the U.S.-Mexico border would be up to six, providing “critical aerial surveillance assistance”; previously, drones were not approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for use in a stretch of west Texas
As National Guard troops began arriving in southern Arizona on Monday, Janet Napolitano, the homeland security secretary, said the boots on the ground would be assisted by more surveillance from the skies. Napolitano said that with the launching of a fourth Predator drone this week, the entire Southwest border from California to Texas would now be patrolled from above.
The New York Times’s Marc Lacey reports that previously, drones were not approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for use in a stretch of west Texas. By the beginning of next year, the number of drones operating along the border should be up to six, providing “critical aerial surveillance assistance,” Napolitano said. “Numbers don’t lie,” she added, arguing that the border region, despite perceptions to the contrary, was more secure than ever.