TEXAS DRONES: GOOD EYE ON THE BORDER

That dot in the sky, if it's even visible to the human eye, can
proverbially spot a bird on the top tip of a cactus, or a fly on the
nose of a steer.

They're drones. They are a much-needed vehicle to observe activities
along our border with Mexico and then report suspicious activities to
authorities.

We must control our border. It's where billions of dollars worth of
illegal drugs cross into the U.S. Smugglers of humans work the
border, often in remote areas. Like countries worldwide, it's our
right to know who's entering our boundaries.

After solid urging from U.S. Congressman Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso,
and Texas' two U.S. senators, unarmed predator drones are now
observing this area of the border, not just Arizona as in the past.

A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle that flies at high altitudes
and is remotely piloted from the ground. They are the vehicles the
military uses to search out, and sometimes launch rockets onto
insurgents in Afghanistan.

The drones used here are not armed, but they do have the eyes of an
eagle and the technical expertise to spot virtually all ground
activities. Much of the illegal contraband that heads from Mexico
north crosses the border in remote areas.

Since our southern border is some 2,000 miles long, it is impossible
for eyes on the ground to pinpoint even most activities.

Deploying drones, with their state-of-the-art sensors, just plain
makes a lot of sense.