IG REPORT: Drone Patrol of Southern Border Ineffective and Costly

Illegals hiding before they make break over border

The unmanned drone program patrolling the Southern border, including Arizona, has not been proven effective and costs almost five times more than reported, a study released Tuesday concludes.

A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol drone aircraft is prepped 
in a hangar prior to its flight on Sept 24, 2014 at Ft. Huachuca
 in Sierra Vista, Ariz.(Photo: Matt York, AP)

The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security recommends that plans to expand the program should be scrapped and the money directed to other programs to secure the border.

The drone program is operated by Customs and Border Protection, part of DHS, but investigators concluded the agency could not prove its effectiveness because no performance measures have been developed.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection drone gets 
prepped for flight in Arizona last year. AP

Customs and Border Protection officials offered an eight-page defense of the program, contending that the IG had misconstrued and misunderstood the material provided to investigators.

The IG report concludes there is little or no evidence that the program has increased apprehensions of people trying to cross the border illegally, has improved the Border Patrol's efficiency, or has reduced costs as agency officials predicted.

A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol drone aircraft lifts off 
on Sept 24, 2014 at Ft. Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Ariz.
(Photo: Matt York, AP)

The report also found the unmanned aircraft do not operate along the entire Southwest border as has been reported, and have not met the goal of being airborne 16 hours a day every day of the year. Investigators found that in fiscal 2013, aircraft were airborne 22% of the goal.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

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