U.S. officials on Tuesday unveiled plans for the first ever use of unmanned aerial "drones" to detect illegal immigrants, smugglers and terrorists along Arizona’s border with Mexico. The $10-million Arizona Border Control initiative adds two unmanned aircraft, four new helicopters and 260 Border Patrol agents to forces patrolling a 350-mile stretch of border, a Department of Homeland Security official said.
A rise in violent crimes in Arizona cities -- attributed to clashes between rival smuggling rings -- spurred the action, department spokesman Roger Maier said. State authorities are alarmed by an upsurge in shootouts and kidnappings by smugglers trying to steal one another’s human cargo, and by rising demand for services for immigrants found imprisoned in "drop houses" or wandering the desert, he said. The drones, which have been tested but never used to patrol the border, were expected to begin flying in June. The Mexican government has been briefed on the operation, and consular officials attended its kick-off in Tucson on Tuesday. A Mexican consular spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment. The multi-agency effort is "unlike anything ever attempted" and is designed to discourage immigrants from crossing alone or hiring "coyotes" or guides to make the treacherous journey, Maier said.
arming them w/hellfire missiles not a bad idea either
It provides funds for cameras and other surveillance devices, and adds detention space and six federal prosecutors to speed the migrants’ return to their countries. At least 346 immigrants from Mexico and Latin America died in the year ended September 2003 trying to cross the U.S.-Mexican border, mainly of dehydration and exposure. |