Risks & Benefits of Drones on the Southern Border

In December 2023, migrant encounters at the US-Mexico border reached a record high, according to Pew Research Center. Although by August 2024, those encounters had dropped 77%, migrants crossing the southern border illegally were still occurring at higher rates than much of the past decade.

The recent decline in migrant encounters is partially attributed to policy changes on both sides of the border. The Washington Post reported this September that authorities in Mexico have stepped up their efforts to prevent migrants from reaching the southern border. Meanwhile the Biden administration issued an executive order this June that ordered an asylum ban for migrants crossing the southern border illegally.

Besides policy changes, another factor in improving the mitigation of illegal border crossings are the technologies and personnel Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) have committed to over the past year

One such technology is unmanned aerial systems, or drones. CBP has begun expanding the role of drones in its operations, which has offered significant benefits in terms of time and cost savings, and officer safety. This report will analyze not only how CBP is leveraging drones on the southern border, but inversely, the risks drones present on the southern border when used maliciously.

To learn more about drone use on the southern border, and other CBP initiatives, be sure to register for next year’s Homeland Security Week starting March 25 in Arlington, Virginia.

This two-day summit will focus on advancing cybersecurity/ biometric measures, optimizing border security strategies, counter-UAS, enhancing infrastructure resilience, strategies of local law enforcement, and more.