The border crisis has gotten out of hand. Now it’s time to get down to business.
And the U.S. military announced a massive operation on the southern border.
The U.S. military has stepped up surveillance operations along the southern border, deploying advanced aircraft to gather intelligence and conduct reconnaissance, according to defense sources familiar with the mission.
U-2 spy planes and P-8A Poseidon aircraft have been actively flying along the length of the U.S.-Mexico border, conducting daily sorties.
These operations have been underway since President Donald Trump issued a Day One executive order declaring a national emergency at the border.
Fox News has learned that this is not the first time the U.S. has conducted aerial surveillance in the region.
However, questions remain about whether these aircraft are flying into Mexican airspace or if such access is necessary for their operations.
“I can’t discuss the specific tracks/flight paths, but the aircraft are flying in support of a common problem to both of our sovereign nations,” an Air Force spokesperson told Fox News.
The spokesperson also emphasized that the U.S. is operating within its rights.
“We respect Mexico’s sovereignty. We don’t need another nation’s permission to fly in international airspace.”
The U-2 aircraft, known for its high-altitude, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, provides intelligence both day and night.
The Air Force states that it “delivers critical imagery and signals intelligence to decision makers.”
The Navy describes the P-8 Poseidon as a “multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft” designed for long-range intelligence gathering, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-surface warfare.
While the aircraft are gathering intelligence on border activity, discussions within the Pentagon have centered on how to reassure the public that these operations are not being used to spy on American citizens.
If any intelligence is inadvertently collected on U.S. citizens — whether they live near the border or cross through legal ports of entry — operators are required to erase such data.
Despite the Biden administration’s ongoing border narratives, multiple reports from the CATO Institute confirm that the vast majority of fentanyl smuggling into the U.S. is carried out by American citizens at legal ports of entry.
Very little of it is trafficked by migrants illegally crossing the border, given the high likelihood of interception.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
