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Customs and Border Protection (CBP) flew its drones, which could include the agency’s MQ-9 Predator drones, at least 50 times last year in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to new data obtained by 404 Media.

The data shows that CBP continues to support not just ICE but other federal agencies, such as the FBI, with its fleet of drones. In June, 404 Media reported CBP flew two high-powered Predator drones above protests in Los Angeles, flights which CBP said were to provide “officer safety surveillance.”

💡Do you know anything else about CBP’s drones or other technology? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.

“This is especially concerning, given ICE’s ongoing unlawful immigration sweeps and this administration’s concerted effort to suppress any dissent,” Jennifer Lynch, general counsel for activist organization the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which has previously researched CBP’s use of drones, told 404 Media. “These records show that CBP has never stopped operating its drones on behalf of other federal, state, and local agencies, including ICE. In fact, the program has expanded exponentially since EFF first reported on it in 2012.”

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