Texas Seeks Input on Small Surveillance Balloons

The Texas Department of Public Safety has kicked off search for small surveillance balloons intended to help detect drug trafficking and smuggling on the border, Valley Central reported Friday.

Dave Hendricks writes the department released a request for information in December for what it describes as light-weight and “rapidly deployable persistent surveillance systems.”

State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, expressed support for the plan, according to the report.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency currently deploys surveillance balloons over the Donna, Peñitas, Sullivan City, Roma and Falfurrias areas to watch for immigrants and drug smugglers, Valley Central reports.