Obama Requests Drone Surge for U.S.-Mexico Border

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President Barack Obama requested $39 million for aerial surveillance, including unmanned aircraft operations, as part of an effort to systemically take care of what he called an urgent humanitarian situation.

The emergency funding would go toward 16,526 additional drone and manned aircraft flight hours for border surveillance, and 16 additional drone crews to better detect and stop illegal activity, according to administration officials.

Unmanned Systems Event 2014 – Israel

According to Defense One there currently is a flood of unaccompanied children, and adults with children, illegally crossing the border to escape violence and poverty in Central American communities.

The remotely-piloted jets would not be deployed to look for these migrants, who are out in the open and turning themselves in. Rather, the drones would try to detect drug smugglers, human traffickers and others attempting to evade the law.