“We're not seeing anything out of the ordinary,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday on CNN's “Situation Room.” Drone sightings have been reported on the East Coast, but Congress will take action against drones. We need to give them more authority.
Host Wolf Blitzer asked, “What would you say to Americans who are deeply concerned about these sightings right now in New Jersey, New York, here and outside Washington, D.C., in Maryland?” Ta.
Mayorkas replied: “Let's calm down. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary. We didn't see any unusual activity. We know of no threat. We don't know of any wrongdoing. I would like to repeat that: We did not see anything out of the ordinary. I'm not aware of any malicious activity. Let me explain, people are reporting drone sightings where they think they're seeing a small aircraft. This is very common and we have also experienced cases of mistaken identity.6 Different people are reporting what they think is a drone, and suddenly 6 There have been several reported drone sightings. So there is some overlap. I am in daily contact with Governor Murphy (D-New Jersey). Our experts are in daily contact with the New Jersey State Police. What we've done is we've brought in cutting-edge technology and we've put our experts in New Jersey. There have been no confirmed drone sightings. Additionally, we have confirmed that some of the reported drone sightings are actually small aircraft; pilots do not report seeing them in the sky. That's not to say there aren't drones out there to do that, but there are currently no concerns about threats or illegal activity. There could be a 15-year-old. We've never seen a drone turn off its lights in the dark. We've never seen a drone enter restricted airspace. That would be cause for concern.”
He added: “We didn't see anything out of the ordinary. We know of no threat. Second, we have repeatedly gone to Congress to ask for more powers to counter drone activity. We've also called for more powers for the state and local officials we oversee, because we need to expand them.”
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