Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday suggested that a rule change by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in September of 2023 “may be one of the reasons” for the reports of drone sightings at night in the northeast of the country.
Drones have been spotted in recent weeks across New Jersey and neighboring states, prompting concern among residents and lawmakers and launching investigations by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. The FBI says that it has received over 3,000 tips related to the drone sightings, with most of the purported observations occurring at night.
“In September of 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, changed the rules so that drones could fly at night,” the Biden administration official told ABC News’ This Week on Sunday. “And that may be one of the reasons why now people are seeing more drones than they did before, especially from dawn to dusk.”
Mayorkas acknowledged that “there’s no question that drones are being sighted.” The Biden admin official noted that “thousands” are flying in the United States every day, and that “more than one million drones” are registered nationwide.
“I want to assure the American public that we