By Andrew P. Napolitano
The president's men trash the Constitution to pursue antagonists
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
The federal government is pushing back against reports that it has drones specifically designed to track firearms and cellphone signals, the latest clash of an increasingly paranoid public and an administration trying to keep its unmanned aerial systems program under wraps.
The U.S. Border Patrol's required proficiency in Spanish historically has made the agency a vital link to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in need of language translation assistance, but that service no longer will be available.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter pilot has been placed on administrative leave after a stunt during which a helicopter hovered low over a Prince William County high school football field in order to drop a homecoming invitation to a student.
"program is a vital border security asset. Equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and day-and-night cameras, the [drones] provide real-time images to front-line agents to more effectively and efficiently secure the nation's borders," said Customs and Border Protection spokesman Michael Friel.
Mr. Friel also said the agency "is not deploying signal interception capabilities" on its drones.
