Article content

A new U.S. government audit is questioning the value of using drones to conduct surveillance along the Canadian and Mexican borders.

The report from the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Defense found that the drones were not only costly, but were grounded much of the time.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Surveillance drones along U.S.-Canadian border not helping security, says audit Back to video

“We see no evidence that the drones contribute to a more secure border, and there is no reason to invest addition taxpayer funds at this time,” Inspector General John Roth said in a statement this week.

The inspector general found “little or no evidence” that the fleet of Predator drones was effective in conducting surveillance.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection flies nine of the aircraft. Most are based on the U.S. border with Mexico, but they also conduct surveillance along the Canadian border, from a base in North Dakota.

Between 2011 and 2014, the drones flew 18,089 hours; 57 per cent of these flight hours took place over the border with Mexico; 18 per cent took place along the Canadian border; and seven per cent took place over the maritime areas off Florida.