In its campaign to crack down on illegal immigrants, Arizona wants Predator drones to prowl the US-Mexico border. Arizona also would like a lot more attack helicopters. Arizona Republican governor Janice Brewer’s requests for much a lot more military hardware, combined with Arizona’s controversial immigration law, are giving Arizona an increasingly militant image as the Grand Canyon state has become the epicenter of the debate on immigration reform in 2010.
Arizona immigration law condemned
The Arizona Predator drone request was made in a letter Brewer wrote to President Obama asking the National Guard for a personal loan to get helicopters and robotic surveillance craft to the “border states” from other parts of the country. CNNMoney.com reports that her letter was dated May 20, the day that Mexican President Felipe Calderon met with Obama at the White House and condemned Arizona’s new immigration law before Congress before later attendeding a state dinner.
The Predator drones in the Arizona skies
3 Predator drones are at the moment patrolling in Arizona. Brewer’s request for more Arizona Predator drones comes a couple of weeks after Texas politicians said they had reached an agreement with the federal government to deliver Predator drones for surveillance on the Texas border this fall. The Austin American Statesman reports that discussions in Washington have centered on bringing one Predator drone to Texas to be deployed along the border with Mexico to fight drug trafficking, human smuggling and violent Mexican drug cartels.
Illegal immigration in Arizona
Brewer signed the Arizona immigration bill into law on April 23, and she has said she is trying to pick up the slack for the federal government in cracking down on illegal immigration along the border. The Arizona immigration law goes into effect in July and demands police to “determine the immigration status” of everyone who may be under “reasonable suspicion” of being an illegal alien. The law transfers responsibility from federal immigration authorities to state police.
Arizona wants a lot more choppers
In her letter to the president asking for more Arizona predator drones, the governor also asked for OH-58 Kiowa helicopters used by the military for reconnaissance. The governor said a fleet of at least eight to 10 Kiowa helicopters would double Arizona’s aerial border coverage to 2,000 hours per year.
Predators are popular for immigration reformers
Brewer’s request for more Arizona Predator drones comes as more federal lawmakers and state politicians are demanding the office of Customs and Border Protection unleash a lot more Predator aircraft on the U.S.-Mexico border. As reported on truthistreason.net, supporters of the idea say the Predator’s multimillion-dollar price tag — the camera by itself can cost more than $2 million — is worth it. The drone will patrol areas where ground agents don’t have access. Customs and Border Protection says it has six of the robotic planes.
