U.S. border security and immigration control is one of the hottest - and most divisive - political topics in America today. Yet technology, not politics, is one of the most important topics for those tasked with securing the borders, countering the influx of illegal drugs and other contraband, and containing a flood of people from all over the world. Autorities must defend the long and largely isolated northern and southern land borders, thousands of miles of coastline, and the nation's vast airspace. The days of monitoring these areas by human eyes alone, attempting to use sometimes-out-of-date paper to identify repeat offenders and known criminals, are over (although still a vital part of the effort). Today, the nation's borders and coastlines are under constant surveillance from satellites and sensor-packed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aerostats, manned aircraft, boats, and ground vehicles.
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