Alejandro Mayorkas has said a new Federal Aviation Administration rule may be behind the deluge of drone sightings across New Jersey and the East Coast.
The outgoing DHS secretary finally addressed the issue with the press on Sunday, confirming that they could not physically shoot down the drones but that technology to assist in detecting them is on its way.
He clarified, however, why all of this seemed to be happening all of a sudden.
‘In September of 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, changed the rules so that drones could fly at night,’ Mayorkas said.
‘And that may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn to dusk.’
The FAA already imposes restrictions on nighttime operations. Most drones are not allowed to fly at night unless they are equipped with anti-collision lights that are visible for at least 3 miles
After receiving reports of drone activity last month near Morris County, New Jersey, the Federal Aviation Administration issued temporary bans on drone flights over a golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, that is owned by President-elect Donald Trump, and over Picatinny Arsenal Military Base.
The FAA is responsible for the regulations governing their use, and Congress has written some requirements into law.
With a 2018 law, the Preventing Emerging Threats Act, Congress gave certain agencies in the Homeland Security and Justice departments authority to counter threats from unmanned aircraft to protect the safety of certain facilities.
New drones must be outfitted with equipment allowing law enforcement to identify the operator, and Congress gave the agencies the power to detect and take down unmanned aircraft that they consider dangerous.
The law spells out where the counter-drone measures can be used, including ‘national special security events’ such as presidential inaugurations and other large gatherings of people.
Some state and local officials in New Jersey are calling for stronger restrictions because of the recent sightings, and that has the drone industry worried.
Scott Shtofman, director of government affairs at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, said putting more limits on drones could have a ‘chilling effect’ on ‘a growing economic engine for the United States.’
‘We would definitely oppose anything that is blindly pushing for new regulation of what are right now legal drone operations,’ he said.
AirSight, a company that sells software against ‘drone threats,’ says more than 20 states have enacted laws against privacy invasion by drones, including Peeping Toms.
Will Austin, president of Warren County Community College in New Jersey, and founder of its drone program, says it’s up to users to reduce public concern about the machines.
