Canada bought unusable Chinese drones at the border

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) thought they were doing the right thing by purchasing drones to monitor the border with the United States, but they chose a Chinese brand that the Americans no longer want to see flying, - has learned.

The organization purchased DJI drones, despite knowing they cannot be used at the borderconfides a Canadian agent of the GRCwho is not authorized to speak publicly.

Two other sources familiar with the matter confirm that the GRC rushed to make this order in the wake of the election of Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated 47^e American president on Monday.

Mr. Trump shook the Canadian political class and economic circles at the end of November when he threatened to impose 25% customs tariffs. This tax, he asserted, will remain in effect until drugs, especially fentanyl, and all illegal immigrants stop this invasion of our country.

In the process, the Canadian authorities promised to deploy infrared sensors and helicopters at the border, but also drones, even if the origin of these devices does not please the southern neighbor.

DJI drones are great, but we can’t use them because the real reason is that [les autorités américaines] do not want to see a Chinese drone on the edge of the border.

In recent weeks, the American government has launched a public consultation with the aim of ultimately banning the sale of drones from China. American authorities suspect this country of using these devices for espionage purposes and of being able to control them remotely. (New window).

A bill (New window) was also presented at the Congress, in which it is mentioned that DJI brand devices present an unacceptable risk to United States national security.

[On] was ordered to use them only for search and rescue. Americans do not support border useconfirms another agent.

The Chinese giant DJI is the world leader in the field of drones. Its affordable devices have the advantage of being available in a short time. There GRC was therefore able to make a purchase of less than $10,000 without a call for tenders which was delivered quickly.

Contacted by -, the GRC neither denied nor confirmed this information. We cannot provide further details to preserve the integrity of our operationsunderlines a spokesperson.

RCMP uses remotely piloted aircraft systems [drones]cameras and vehicles to secure the border. The type and brand of these systems vary and are determined in particular by the type of operation.

In parallel with the recent purchase of DJI drones, the GRC had also launched a call for tenders to order other drones which will be delivered later.

The police force, responsible for surveillance at the border with the Border Services Agency, indicates that it has a total of 900 drones, including type and brand […] vary and are determined in particular by the type of operation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to answer our questions because it is not not authorized to disclose company or product specific information, confidential company information, or information regarding active law enforcement actions, investigations, or ongoing cases.

It should be noted that Canada also uses helicopters equipped with thermal cameras to monitor its 8,891 kilometers of borders with the United States. Six helicopters from the GRCequipped with this technology, can be used for this purpose.

Open in full screen mode

Outdated devices and lack of staff

According to our sources, the equipment currently owned and used by Canadian agents who monitor the border is outdated.

The autonomy of certain drones would not exceed a few minutes, depending on climatic conditions. Significant problems also affect surveillance cameras, image hosting and the absence of networks in key sectors.

Our sources at GRC believe that Canada does not allocate enough resources to border surveillance, particularly in Estrie and Montérégie.

Our hot spots deserve no attention to date. [Les annonces d’Ottawa]it seems to be a nice smokescreen to silence the criticsprotests another agent, while recalling that the border teams also lack drone pilots.

According to our information, the numbers have nevertheless been revised slightly upwards in recent weeks, in the wake of Donald Trump’s declarations. A few agents from other sectors and departments came to reinforce the border patrols.

The GRC continually reviews its operational priorities to ensure that sectors are provided with the necessary resources. If necessary, resources from other sectors can be reallocated elsewhere in the short term to meet operational needsindicates the police organization.

Illegal crossings on the decline

If Donald Trump has raised his voice, it is in particular because of the record number of illegal crossings at the Canadian-American border.

Last year, nearly 19,000 people were intercepted in the Swanton sector alone, located in southern Quebec, which covers the northern states of New York and Vermont, an increase of 800% in just two years.

However, in recent months, the number of arrests made by US authorities has declined significantly, from around 3,000 per month last summer to fewer than 400 in December.

Start of widget. Skip the widget?End of widget. Return to start of widget?

This drop is partly explained by the measures put in place by the Trudeau government to tighten the issuance of Canadian visas, particularly in India where numerous smuggling networks are organized to bring entire families into the United States, by the way. by Canada, in exchange for several tens of thousands of dollars.

As - has already revealed, bribes were even paid in India to employees responsible for issuing these travel documents.

On the X network, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the work of his team to significantly reduce this phenomenon. We improved visa verification, and it workshe wrote, referring to a reduction in illegal crossings of 90% across the entire border.

Start of the Twitter widget. Skip the widget?End of Twitter widget. Return to start of widget?

Expelled by the United States rather than returned to Canada

Despite this reduction in interceptions, migrants of all origins continue to cross the border, especially from Quebec to the United States.

On the night of January 10 to 11, six Haitians, including a 9-year-old girl, were rescued by American authorities. They suffered from the cold and harsh weather conditions.

According to our information, they had been spotted by Canadian agents who followed their steps in the snow, before warning their American counterparts.

They were able to find them in the woods located in Mooers Forks, in northern New York State, a few kilometers west of the village of Champlain, one of the areas most targeted by these illegal crossings.

Open in full screen mode

On the ground, the situation would therefore remain sensitive, confide several police sources.

We still have Indians going south in large numbers. I meet “foreign students” every day [qui n’étudient finalement pas au Canada]sighs a Canadian agent. Americans seem to miss quite a few, if not most, unfortunately.

If these smugglers and migrants are now more discreet once in the United States, it would be mainly due to new American measures.

They put them on a plane, they deport them [expulsent, NDLR]explains another agent well aware of the situation. They don’t send them back to Canada [comme le permettrait pourtant la nouvelle Entente sur les tiers pays sûrs signée en mars 2023]. They don’t want them to then try to come back home.

In recent months, in the wake of his election, Donald Trump has promised to trigger a state of emergency in the United States and mobilize the federal army to expel thousands of migrants he considers illegal.