Washington DC On Tuesday Customs & Border Protection took one more critical step to secure the nations southern border. This first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight over West Texas marks the beginning of a critically important new means for providing homeland security in Texas" said Congressman Henry Cuellar earlier today. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the UAV flight occurred over a portion of West Texas Tuesday.
Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Border Maritime & Global Counterterrorism commented earlier today regarding the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight over West Texas on Tuesday June 1 2010 by Customs & Border Protection Office of Air & Marine.
By putting eyes in the sky along the Rio Grande we will gather real-time intelligence on the ground to augment the good work of federal state and local law enforcement on the border" said Cuellar.
I applaud CBPs initiative to further develop the UAV program in Texas and I look forward to FAAs certification of flight for the remainder of the Texas-Mexico border 
this summer. In the meantime I will continue to work with my Texas congressional colleagues to see this program through" Cuellar said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved this May CBP UAV flights from Arizona to Big Bend Texas.
Another flight approval is still pending before the FAA to enable UAV flights along the remainder of the Texas-Mexico border in addition to the states coastal waters.
FAA is expected to make a decision on that certification by late August.
The first Texas-bound CBP UAV flew Tuesday from Arizona to New Mexico to the El Paso/Big Bend region of the state.
Currently there are five CBP Predator B UAVs deployed to the nations northern and southern borders. Three are stationed at the CBP Operations Center in Sierra Vista Arizona and two are located at the CBP Operations Center in Grand Forks North Dakota.
Since January Congressman Cuellar has been working to create a UAV mission operations center in Corpus Christi Texas.
If approved by the FAA the UAV stationed at this facility would have the ability to fly along the Rio Grande between El Paso and Brownsville in addition to the Texas Gulf Coast.
Please CLICK HERE to learn more about CBPs UAV program.
Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the U.S. House Homeland Security Agriculture and Government Oversight & Reform Committees in the 111 th Congress. Cuellar is also a Senior Whip and member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
