Biden Admin Says It Doesn’t Have the Authority to Shoot Down Massive Drones Buzzing East Coast

As drones buzz above the East Coast with no real explanation of where they’re coming from, there’s more alarming news out of President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration: They can’t really do anything about them.

In an interview on CNN Friday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that no matter what the intentions of the drones are, his ability to take them out of the sky is very limited.

This is despite the fact that widespread drone sightings over the Northeast have included one over a naval weapons station in New Jersey, among other places, according to ABC News.

“While no direct threats to the installation have been identified, we can confirm multiple instances of unidentified drones entering the airspace above Naval Weapons Station Earle,” said Bill Addison, public affairs officer for Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, New Jersey.

“The base remains prepared to respond to any potential risks, leveraging robust security measures and advanced detection capabilities.”

But even with this, Mayorkas said the federal government’s hands are tied.

“Our authorities are very limited,” Mayorkas told Wolf Blitzer.

“We have various authorities that are discreet to their particular missions. We can’t just shoot a drone out of the sky.”

NEW: Alejandro Mayorkas says there is nothing they can do about the NJ drones because they don’t have the “authority” and suggests people are just mistaking them for drones bought at “convenience stores.”

Biggest clown in America.

Mayorkas says people might simply be mistaking… pic.twitter.com/Ln0d43yfFL

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 13, 2024

“They’re very, well, maybe drones in the sky, of course, but those are commercially available. One can go into a convenience store and buy a small drone,” he said, adding that there were “cases of mistaken identity” where people were misidentifying small aircraft as drones, according to Fox News.

“We know of no threat or nefarious activity,” he added.

However, he did call upon Congress to expand their abilities to shoot down drones.

“Those authorities need to be expanded,” he said.

This came after a statement by Mayorkas a few hours earlier in which he said that the feds and local authorities “continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings.

“Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities,” he added.

“We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection.”

We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.

Read our full joint statement with the @FBI below: https://t.co/bDV9SjXCJy

— Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (@SecMayorkas) December 12, 2024

The move came amid demands from President-elect Donald Trump that the Biden administration start shooting the drones down.

“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!!!” he wrote on .

It also comes after several incidents over the final two years of the Biden administration found the president coming under fire for preparedness against unmanned aircraft spying on the United States.

In early 2023, what officials described as a Chinese spy balloon — and which Beijing claimed was a weather balloon — flew over most of the continental United States before being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.

BREAKING‼️🇺🇸🇨🇳 China’s “spy balloon” collected sensitive intelligence from U.S. military sites — NBC pic.twitter.com/NMaNraRxiI

— Radar🚨 (@RadarHits) April 3, 2023

An official who was “briefed on the balloon incident” said that the administration had attempted to keep it from the American public.

“Before it was spotted publicly, there was the intention to study it and let it pass over and not ever tell anyone about it,” they told NBC News.

Then, in 2024, a drone purportedly launched by a Chinese citizen captured images of the USS Ronald Reagan, an American aircraft carrier, at a Japanese naval base. The footage was posted to social media.

Another security scandal at Japan’s Yokosuka Naval Base.

A drone launched by a Chinese citizen (not confirmed) flew over the deck of nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base. pic.twitter.com/qJmhtNQXWe

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 8, 2024

And now we have drones reportedly flying over U.S. naval weapons stations. But not to worry, the DHS secretary says! Although he would like additional authority to shoot drones down were they to be something to worry about, say.

The only thing that should reassure you about this is that, in a month and change, these folks will be gone from Washington.

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