Lawmakers Express 'Extreme Concern' Over Border Robot Dog Plan

A research and development arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced last month it has been working with the Philadelphia-based company Ghost Robotics to develop a robot dog for the border. Now a small group of Latino U.S. House members recently expressed "extreme concern" about the plan. From a report: A letter obtained by Axios Latino shows that U.S. Reps. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-CA) are seeking a meeting with U.S. Customs and Border Protection about the robots. In the letter, the House members write that the term "robot dogs" is a "disingenuous moniker that attempts to soft-pitch the use of this technology." "It downplays the threat the robots pose to migrants arriving at our southern border and the part they play in a long history of surveillance and privacy violations in our border communities." The letter also said they are concerned that the robot dogs will inevitably result in armed patrols and that they could critically injure, or even kill, migrants or American citizens. Robots used in combination with drones, facial recognition technology and license plate readers, pose civil liberties risks, the letter said.

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