Mysterious drones flying across New Jersey present no “threat” and are not “nefarious,” as far as the Department of Homeland Security knows, secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Friday.
Multiple unidentified drones have been spotted across the state since mid-November, raising concerns from local law enforcement that the drones could be operated by foreign agents. Federal authorities have repeatedly stressed that the drones do not pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” DHS and the FBI said in a joint statement on Thursday.
“We know of no threat or nefarious activity, and I want to repeat, Wolf, that if we learn of any cause for concern, we will be transparent in our communication,” Mayorkas told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Friday.
The department’s ability to neutralize the drones is “very limited,” he added.
“We can’t just shoot a drone out of the sky,” Mayorkas said. “We have gone to Congress repeatedly asking for more authority to counter drone activity, and we have also asked for more authority to give to the state and local officials under our supervision, because it correctly notes those authorities need to be expanded.”
Residents have threatened to shoot down the drones as federal agents do their best to assuage public fears. Donald Trump commented on the matter on Truth Social this week, saying that, “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!!! DJT.”
New Jerseyans and politicians of both parties have accused President Joe Biden of withholding information about the situation. “People in New Jersey are terrified about drone sightings & the Biden admin has zero answers for them. It’s either gross incompetence or more lies from a federal govt that’s lost all credibility. If these are Chinese drones, which I’ve fought to ban, this is a major national security issue. We need answers NOW,” Senator Rick Scott (R., Fla.) said on X this week. “The Biden Administration is not taking our national security seriously,” Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) agreed on Friday. An open letter authored by Democratic New York and New Jersey senators Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Andy Kim expressed concern for “how these drones may harm public safety, especially given recent reports that a medevac helicopter was prevented from transporting a seriously injured patient for care because of the presence of these drones.”
In their joint statement, DHS and the FBI said that law enforcement has uncovered no “malicious activity or intent at this stage.”
“While there is no known malicious activity occurring in New Jersey, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight the insufficiency of current authorities,” the statement read.