Asked if Texas should buy its own drones for use in border security, Abbott said “I would, it would be something to think about because with the drone you can actually see what is happening on the ground and it could help establish whether those objective criteria were being met.”

Abbott acknowledged the potential for invasion of privacy problems with drones but said he believed those worries could be satisfied.

Earlier in the discussion, Abbott listed having objective criteria for determining whether a border area is sufficiently safe and secure for residents as a pre-requisite for resolution of immigration issues currently being debated in Congress.