Americans are likely to be seeing more drones in the night sky, but there’s no evidence of foreign involvement or a national security risk, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said.
“I want to assure the American public that we are on it,” Mayorkas said on ABC’s This Week. His appearance on a Sunday morning network show signaled a stepped-up response by President Joe Biden’s administration to address surging public concern about the sightings.
Mayorkas called on Congress to grant that authority to state and local officials so they “have the ability to counter drone activity under federal supervision.”
Drone sightings have picked up in recent weeks, starting in New Jersey and spreading throughout the US Northeast. State leaders including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, are among public figures demanding a clearer explanation from federal officials and expanded authority to act against drones that may appear as a threat.
Mayorkas speculated that one reason for the increase in sightings is that in September 2023 the Federal Aviation Administration allowed nighttime drone flights.
“If we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate with the American public accordingly,” Mayorkas said.
Investigations to date indicate the sightings are drones or manned aircraft that pose no threat, he said.
Read more: US Officials See No Evidence of Threat From Reported Drones
“There are thousands of drones flown every day in the United States, recreational drones, commercial drones,” he said. “That is the reality.”