Staff Reports
Due to the rising cost of maintaining surveillance blimps at the US-Mexico border, the Biden administration is reducing the number of these aircraft.
The US Border Protection uses aerostat surveillance aircraft to monitor the movement of people and objects in the country. These aircraft can stay in the air for a long time.
"""According to a report by Fox News, the number of aerostat aircraft in the Rio Grande valley sector has decreased from 12 to four.
The Department of Defense agreed to spend about $52 million to maintain the aerostat program through the end of FY 2022. However, after the DHS decided to stop funding the program, the contract ended in October.
In 2013, the US government deployed an aerostat blimp in Nogales, Arizona. According to a CBP official, the blimp can reach a maximum altitude of 3,000 feet and can keep track of border activities for long periods."""
"The US Border Patrol started to reduce the number of tactical aerostat aircraft deployed along the southwest border in January 2023. Despite the reduction in the number of aircraft, the agency plans to continue using aerostat surveillance technology throughout FY 2023."
Biden is intent on erasing our border. https://t.co/xp8R0b92u2
— Border Patrol Union – NBPC (@BPUnion) February 9, 2023
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Town Hall.
