CBP drones on Los Angeles are a dangerous escalation

Wednesday, United Customs countries and border protection Emphasized 404 media He was flying drones on Los Angeles Central Los Angeles protests. “It supports federal law enforcement partners in the Greater Los Angeles region, including the application of immigration and customs, with the support of their operations.”

The state enforcement agencies throughout the United States use different types of drones and other vehicles, such as helicopters, to conduct air control, and other agencies that are also used by drones in their operations. For example, the Ministry of Forests and Fire Protection in California this year has doubled this year, according to Governor Gavin Newose’s office, as part of the efforts to combat forest fires. However, the CBP MQ-9 drones, also known as Predator B drones, are the military caliber drones used in the air reconnaissance that can be armed.

In 2020, during the first administration of President Donald Trump, CBP flew a predatory plane on Minneapolis during the George Floyd protests. In the decisive years, the researchers followed the predator of the Ministry of Internal Security, which flying over different American cities, without any clear explanation. In the case of Los Angeles, at Trump Deployed More than 700 actual naval infantry and the National Guard studied, and sent nearly 4,000 guards to California due to the NewSom objections. In conjunction with these procedures, the presence of CBP drones draws a picture of federal participation – and possibly control – as things are usually things.

“Military equipment for local law enforcement has been used for a long time, but military equipment flying on Los Angeles at a time when the president sent military units against the ruler’s desires in the Big Brother Watch group that has long been emerging.” If the federal government depicted migration on It is a matter of national security, so we should not be surprised if they use national security tools publicly – in military services – to respond. “

Holding powerful cameras and other sensors, drones can record clear and detailed footage of events such as protests from high altitudes.

“The air and sea operations (Amo) from CBP provides air support to federal law enforcement partners in the Los Angeles Greater Region,” CBP told CBP in a statement answering questions about whether the process is on Los Angeles routine or conditions. “Amo’s efforts focus on circumstantial awareness and support for officers as required.”

“The more protests extend to other cities, the greater this type of observation that we will see,” Patrick Edington, a older colleague in internal security and civil freedoms at the Kato Institute.

CBP 404 told the media this week that “Amo does not participate in monitoring the activities of the first amendment.” This statement corresponds to a commitment It should not be collected, published or preserved by the US Department of Internal Security in December 2015. books at that time.

In practice, it is not clear how to monitor the predator can “support” ice agents and other federal law enforcement without observing the protests and taking pictures of the demonstrators.

While researchers note that the use of predators on Los Angeles was not unprecedented – and at this stage, it is not surprising – they assert that this pattern of activity over time makes it likely to spread the federal government such a monitoring in the future, regardless of how to deal with the state.

“It is not new or even all unexpected from the scary Trump administration, but it is still a terrible use of military technology on the civilian population,” says Fine Greenwood, UAV. “It mainly continues in a disturbing direction, but people must also get angry with it and refuse to normalize it.”