Cornyn Says Mexico’s Carnage Spilling Over Into US, As Reports Conflict On Future Use Of Predator Drones

Apr 27, 2010 6 Comments ›› Pat Dollard

Drudge says Napolitano said today that they’re coming, but the Texas Tribune says she said the skies are too crowded. Perhaps the final summary is: they’re coming as long as the FAA makes room in the sky for them.

Drudge:

SEND IN THE DRONES: PREDATORS TO FLY ABOVE TEX-MEX BORDER
Tue Apr 27 2010 19:39:41 ET

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a Senate hearing Tuesday that unmanned aerial drones will soon fly through Texas skies!

“Big Sis” declared that over the past 15 months, federal law enforcement initiatives have made the border more secure than in any other time in history, the SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS reports in Wednesday editions.

The new “predator bees” have the capability to fly at altitudes used by commercial aircraft, and are designed to enhance intelligence capabilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.

But a recent analysis of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles found that they were twice as likely to crash as manned aircraft, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Developing…

Texas Tribune:

TribBlog: DHS Says Skies Too Crowded For Drones

Texas’ congested air space is preventing the deployment of unmanned aerial drones to the southern border; a problem one U.S. senator said is working in favor of Mexican drug cartels.

“I’m upset that there are none in Texas. We have a 1,200-mile border with Mexico,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn told Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. “And as I understand it none of those predators are being used by the Border Patrol or Customs and Border Protection in Texas.”

Cornyn’s comments came during a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, where he reaffirmed his belief that the carnage in Mexico, specifically Ciudad Juárez, was spilling over into El Paso. It was evidenced, he said, by the 150 victims of violence who have been hospitalized in El Paso.

“There is a war going on, as you know, and I am worried that the Mexican government may not be poised to win that war,” he said.

Cornyn and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have repeatedly argued that unmanned aerial drones would assist the federal government in its efforts to secure the border. They had been greeted with little, if any, response. U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, has said repeatedly, however, that unmanned Predator drones have been conducting training operations along the border for about 10 years.

Tuesday Napolitano explained why none of the five drones currently used are keeping a permanent eye on Texas.

“The plain fact of the matter is that Texas’ air space is more crowded than the other airspace that needs to be protected along the border,” she responded. “The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) now has to go in and carve out space for the Predator but that is under way.”

Despite the explanation, Cornyn said he plans to personally approach FAA officials for an explanation of what “their posture is.”

“It seems like the delay just keeps extending on and on and on, and I would ask for your help to try to expedite this,” he told Napolitano.