Mayorkas says DHS 'vigilant in investigating' drone sightings

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sought to assure the American people that the federal government has a handle on the reports of drone sightings on the East Coast.

In an interview on ABC News's "This Week," Mayorkas said there was no evidence of foreign involvement in drone sightings, but his agency remained "vigilant" in investigating the matter.

“We know of no foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the Northeast. And we are vigilant in investigating this matter, the Department of Homeland Security, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the lead,” he said.

Mayorkas said there's "no question" that the drone sightings are real, but several explanations exist for the uptick in sightings.

“There's no question that people are seeing drones. And I want to assure the American public that we, in the federal government, have deployed additional resources, personnel, technology, to assist the New Jersey State Police in addressing the drone sightings,” Mayorkas said.

Mayorkas said some drones are "manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones," noting, "We do see duplicative reporting. But there's no question that drones are being sighted."

Mayorkas said thousands of drones get flown daily and pointed to a recent rule allowing drones to get flown at night.

“Let me set the record straight here. ... There are thousands of drones flown every day in the United States, recreational drones, commercial drones. That is the reality,” he said.

“And in September of 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, changed the rules so that drones could fly at night,” he continued. “And that may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn to dusk. And so that is the reality.”

Mayorkas called for greater resources from the federal government to expand the agency’s abilities to respond to the sightings.

“I want to assure the American public that we are on it. We are working in close coordination with state and local authorities,” Mayorkas said. “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.”

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