Resolution resolved: The United States federal government should substantially curtail its domestic surveillance. Violations

Surveillance is used in border control

Kalhan 14 Anil Kalhan, Associate Professor of Law, Drexel University. Maryland Law Review 2014 74 Md. L. Rev. 1 Article: IMMIGRATION SURVEILLANCE lexis

1. Border Control

Despite implementation challenges, Congress and DHS have placed new surveillance technologies at the heart of border control strategies. n162 Physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border have been supplemented with advanced lighting, motion sensors, remote cameras, and mobile surveillance systems, and DHS has deployed a fleet of unmanned aerial [*42] vehicles to monitor coastal areas and land borders. n163 To date, these drones primarily have been used to locate illegal border crossers and individuals suspected of drug trafficking in remote areas using ultra high-resolution cameras, thermal detection sensors, and other surveillance technologies. n164 However, drones also have been used to patrol and monitor activities within Mexico itself. n165 In addition, government documents indicate that DHS's drones are capable of intercepting wireless communications and may eventually incorporate facial recognition technology linked to the agency's identification databases. n166 According to one official, CBP's drones can "scan large swaths of land from 20,000 feet up in the air while still being able to zoom in so close that footprints can be seen on the ground." n167 The DHS has plans both to expand its fleet of drones and to increase their surveillance capabilities, and immigration reform proposals in Congress would significantly build upon these recent expansions. n168