Mr. McCaul of Texas-  Mr. Chairman, H.R. 2638, as currently written, prohibits the use of funds for additional unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, until the Customs and Border Patrol informs the House and Senate Appropriations Committees that their use is cost-effective. I submit today that they are worth every penny. My amendment would strike that provision which would otherwise be protected by the rule.

   These eyes of the sky bring exceptional operational capabilities to the table. They can stay airborne for 30 to 40 hours and can carry state-of-the-art technology through day and night cameras, radar tracking systems, and other surveillance tools.

   UAVs working the borders have flown over 2,000 hours and aided in the arrests of nearly 3,900 illegal immigrants and the seizure of over 13,000 pounds of marijuana. UAVs are not in sufficient quantities to provide economies of scale and, as such, will always be more expensive to operate than a pilot in a small aircraft. But, Mr. Chairman, cost is not the only consideration.

   On March 20, 2007, a UAV detected and tracked six illegal aliens trying to cross the southern border. When border officials arrived on the scene, they seized 395 pounds of marijuana and arrested all six. Among the six was a fugitive wanted in Kings County, Washington, on charges of third-degree rape of a child.

   We should be providing our border authorities with more technology and tools. We talked a lot about the fence but this is the technology piece. More technology and tools, not less. Had a UAV not detected the entry of those illegal immigrants, how many more children may have been victimized by sexual predators?

   I think this is an important piece to our overall security of the border, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of my amendment.