An American surveillance UAS has shown that just under half of the migrants and smugglers who illegally crossed into Arizona from Mexico recently were caught by border agents, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting.
The data, which come from a radar system developed to detect roadside bombs being planted in Afghanistan, is more precise than previous estimates. In January, the Government Accountability Office reported that 64% of those crossing into Arizona illegally were apprehended in 2011, a slight increase from 2006.
The high-flying unarmed Predator has used the Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar — VADER — since March 2012 along 150 square miles stretch of desert. The system can spot adults and children from 25,000 feet, in good weather or bad.
The drone, an MQ-9 Predator B, generally flies three to four days a week, for between eight and 12 hours at a time. The turboprop aircraft can go as high as 50,000 feet and stay aloft for up to 27 hours.
Using the radar, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 1,874 people (49%) between Oct. 1 and Jan. 17, but 1,962 others (51%) who were detected escaped, CIR reported.
The internal Customs and Border Protection intelligence report outlines several limitations of the system, including the obvious – it can’t tell the difference between a U.S. citizen and noncitizen. On-the-ground video and other sensors are sometimes needed to confirm these so-called “nefarious tracks.”
And simply identifying someone crossing the border is just the first step. On the ground, Border Patrol agents often are not available to respond because of rugged terrain or other assignments. As a result, thousands of people have slipped through. At the Border Patrol, they’re known as “gotaways.”
Responding to the CIR report, a Customs and Border Protection spokesman told theLos Angeles Times that the radar system was still in a “preliminary testing phase.” He added that the agency used a flawed method to compare apprehensions and arrests because it didn’t include people detained after the drone had left the area.
The agency wants to buy two more VADER systems, each of which costs about $5 million a year to operate and maintain.
The Obama administration says nearly 365,000 people were apprehended last year. Republicans have demanded more guards, UAS, fencing and other security measures before legal status is granted to the estimated 11 million people believed to have entered America illegally or overstayed their visas.
President Obama is scheduled to visit the Arizona border in early May as he presses for immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship the estimated 11 million people who are in the country illegally. Despite progress with congressional leaders, major disagreements on how best to secure the Southwest border could scuttle a bipartisan compromise.
Photo: Maintenence personnel at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona, check a Predator operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency – Credit: John Moore, Getty Images
Source: USA Today