Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was asked to “clear up the confusion” over mysterious drones being spotted in New Jersey and instead managed to add to the confusion.
Mayorkas, who told CNN on Saturday the drones present no “threat” and are not “nefarious,” appeared Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” to say that Homeland Security is “limited” in its authority to shoot down drones.
“There’s no question that people are seeing drones, and I want to assure the American public we in the federal government have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology to assist the New Jersey state police in addressing the drone sightings,” Mayorkas told host George Stephanopoulos. “Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones. Some are manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones, and we do see duplicative reporting, but there’s no question drones are being sighted.”
“There are thousands of drones flown every day in the United States, recreational drones, commercial drones,” he added. “That is the reality, and in September of 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, changed the rules so that drones could fly at night, and that may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn to dusk.”
Placing the onus on Congress, Mayorkas spoke about the agency’s authority being “limited.”
“But I want to assure the American public that we are on it,” he said. “We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities, and it is critical, as we all have said, for a number of years, that we need from Congress, additional authorities to address the drone situation. Our authorities currently are limited, and they are set to expire. We need them extended and expanded.”
Stephanopoulos, who was smarting from the humiliation of ABC News settling with President Donald Trump in the defamation lawsuit against the network, a deal that included an apology from the anchor, asked Mayorkas to respond to the president’s response to the drones.
Trump said on Truth Social: “Mystery drone sightings all over the country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge? I don’t think so. Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down.”
“Well, we are aware of the drone sightings. As I’ve said, I think there are more than 8,000 drones flown every day in the United States. With respect to the ability to incapacitate those drones, we are limited in our authorities,” Mayorkas said, repeating himself like a broken record. “We have certain agencies within the Department of Homeland Security that can do that and outside our department, but we need those authorities expanded as well.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
- Mel Gibson speculates on whether there’s a ‘purpose’ behind devastating LA fires - January 11, 2025
- Biden says any remaining pardons could be based on who Trump is critical of - January 11, 2025
- Intel analyst says Iranian missiles smuggled across southern border, Trump travels altered - January 4, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.