Obama Approves Drones on Border (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
President Obama approved the use of unmanned drones on the border between the El Paso region and Arizona (in other words, in New Mexico — the Rodney Dangerfield of States):
“The Obama administration has approved flight operations by an unmanned aerial vehicle to patrol a section of the U.S.-Mexico border between the El Paso region of Texas and Arizona.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, said the Federal Aviation Administration had approved a certification of authorization to permit the flights, beginning June 1.”
Given the positive response from Texas politicians, this may also include the border east of El Paso — better known to Patterico readers as the area where Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean chased and shot drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila.
— DRJ
UPDATE: The El Paso Times has more. The drone will fly between “Fort Huachuca, an Army installation near Sierra Vista, Ariz., and Big Bend National Park” in Texas.
its all part of the “Hellfires for Teabaggers” outreach program….
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 5/14/2010 @ 9:17 pmHow, exactly, will the drones be able to ascertain if the people they might encounter are legal or not?
I mean, do they have super-sensing, special illegal sniffers that the Arizona police don’t?
I hope I may be raising a serious question that, quite frankly, I’m too tired to pursue now.
Ag80 (f67beb) — 5/14/2010 @ 10:44 pmWhat O’Dumbo has planned for American citizens, can’t control them, kill them. The desert will be littered with filthy Mexicans, which is not much different than today.
Scrapiron (996c34) — 5/14/2010 @ 11:13 pmOne of the worst accidents ever, involving a van overloded with illegals, happened within a 1/2 mile of the main gate at Fort Huachuca. Too tired to look it up right now, but memory says there were 21 people in the van & 18 of them died. They were being pursued by the Border Patrol at the time.
— Icy former Arizonan
Icy Texan (82fda8) — 5/15/2010 @ 3:13 am#2 Ag80:
The same way that a UAV operator determines that somebody cruising around the countryside of Afghanistan or Iraq is really a terrorist: by using up the time and skill of a UAV operator who could be better utilized observing in a military theater, by building a freaking fence or some other equally low tech solution instead.
EW1(SG) (edc268) — 5/15/2010 @ 6:07 am“President Obama approved the use of unmanned drones on the border”
He’s sending OFA to the border?
daleyrocks (1d0d98) — 5/15/2010 @ 6:14 amHow else are they going to keep track of those racists who are against immigration? It’s a big border, you know….
Pious Agnostic (b2c3ab) — 5/15/2010 @ 6:34 amGreat, pictures, everyone likes pictures. It’ll be like those well dressed wandering camera girls in swanky night clubs featured in the old black and white movies, and of course in the occasional early James Bond flicks too. There’s nothing quite like having your picture taken to prove you were there, hobnobbing with the fancy folks.
But for someone crossing the border the pictures will record the hazardous journey so the family can have a foundation story. It’ll be like those phony “trace your family tree” vanity books offered at discount prices to the socially insecure who’re seeking the legitimacy of an established, if imaginary, linage.
Illegal immigrants will be able to bask in the glory of famous ancestors, complete with a full color picture, suitable for framing, showing the family Coat-of-Arms, and establishing without question, the long and noble family’s history of residence, well north of the Rio Grande, prior to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
And, as an added bonus, the documents may be accepted as evidence in North American courts, if a wise Latina has anything to say about it.
ropelight (3e6ada) — 5/15/2010 @ 8:51 amThey’re just monitoring activities of the MinuteMen and those pesky, racist Arizona ranchers.
Not to worry.
GeneralMalaise (fc86d7) — 5/15/2010 @ 9:05 am“President Obama approved the use of unmanned drones on the border”
He’s sending OFA to the border?
No – he’s sending Holder and Nappy to hold down the fort. They’ll get to the bottom of the real issue, don’t you worry.
Dmac (21311c) — 5/15/2010 @ 1:07 pmThis is not a military effort, this is a National Defense responsibility. And you would be surprised to know exactly what you could see from the air.
ISRBUBBA (a8c2e1) — 5/25/2010 @ 9:44 am