Border Report – Border Report Live: Military drones rerouted from border to protests

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A California lawmaker has filed a bill to ban the use of military drones to monitor demonstrators in the U.S. following protests in Los Angeles during the summer.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the government in June deployed MQ-9 Predator drones to monitor the protests that followed the deployment of National Guard troops to the city.

These types of drones were typically used to surveil the border and war zones, though they were used in 2020 in the wake of the death of George and the protests that followed.

The Times said their use reflects a change in how the government is choosing to deploy the aircraft, but local officials support the new legislation, and rights groups also warn that drones threaten civil liberties and 1st Amendment rights.

In this episode of Border Report Live, correspondent Julian examines how border officials have and continue to use drones along the border. The National Guard, which has been deployed to the Texas-Mexico border for years, often uses drones as part of its border mission.

Local law enforcement agencies along the border are also using drones to help keep an eye on parts of the border where deputies tend to encounter smugglers in remote areas. However, criminal organizations in Mexico have also found a use for drones, monitoring border authorities from above and striking when they get an all-clear below.

Join the award-winning Border Report team at borderreport.com for a daily, in-depth discussion about people living, working and migrating along the U.S.-Mexico border.

You can also watch past episodes of the Border Report Live, highlighting not only immigration and border security, but cartel violence in Mexico, border trade, politics and the U.S. and Mexico’s ongoing water dispute on the border.

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