Neighbors and elected officials in Nogales were irritated by the sudden launch of a surveillance aircraft they find intrusive. CBP maintains the aerostat only looks down at the border region.
NOGALES, Ariz. — Locals and visitors can see it floating above Nogales. Customs and Border Protection’s new eye in the sky near the U.S.-Mexico border is known as the ‘Aerostat.’
Similar aerostat technology has flown over Cochise County, but that was instead an example of a radar-based aerostat designed to detect low-flying aircraft. That aerostat is known as a Tethered Aerostat Radar System , which CBP says “due to its size and altitude, it can stay aloft for much longer periods of time.
Modlin sees this is as a natural next step in protecting the border against migrant and smuggler crossings. But Hathaway calls it a “militarization of the border” and says the federal government isn’t transparent or accountable to the people who live near the border. There is also a feeling of tension after the federal government implemented a surveillance tactic without any input from or warning for those in the community.