U.S. to begin drone patrols on Canadian border

[Canuck_Buck]

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- Unmanned surveillance aircraft will start patrolling the Canadian border by this fall, a Department of Homeland Security official said.

The propeller-driven drones, called Predators, will begin patrolling U.S. airspace along the border with Canada by September and will fly day and night, said Scott Baker, chief patrol agent of Customs and Border Protection, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/01/12/canada.robot.ap/index.html

Predators, known by the military as unmanned aerial vehicles, have flown missions along the U.S.-Mexico border for several years, Baker said. They can cover about 850 miles (1,368 kilometers) in a five-hour mission and can remain airborne for up to 36 hours.

Depending on lighting conditions and weather, their cameras can detect a person on the ground and identify movements, but are not accurate enough to show facial features.

The patrols, which will extend along the entire 5,430 mile (8,737-kilometer) U.S.-Canadian border, initially will begin with one drone flying out of Grand Forks, said Baker. Other drones will be added later to the patrol.

....Now this is some good news...

[Aught Six]

Cool

[Deleted User]

[Deleted by Admins]

[Champlain Islander]

I live very close to the northern border and have seen a dramatic increase in aircraft flying surveillance. Both fixed and rotary wing craft are flying quite frequently. So far no drones though.

[DougMD]

And how would the democrats respond if we used drones to patrol the southern border? They get huffy when we talk about NOT giving illegals welfare and social security benefits, and denying them the ability to vote!

[Champlain Islander]

Accused of not flying with real pilots. Discrimination if you will.

[alsaqr]

"They get huffy when we talk about NOT giving illegals welfare and social security benefits, and denying them the ability to vote!"

Then we have those fine Republican politicians whose fat cat donors want all that cheap Mexican labor. George Bush has the authority to drastically reduce the illegal infiltration. He refuses to do it.

[DougMD]

I won't defend Bush on immigration, that's for sure. The only thing worse than him is democrats in power.

[FirstBow]

Shoot the only reason we are finding out now is somebody spotted a drone near a military zoneon the canadian side of the border. So needless to say,they had to tell us. Its been going on for about 2 years not just starting.

[tangozulu]

Most of the illegal immigration at the Canadian Border is from south to North.