For weeks now, the skies over New Jersey—and now other parts of the country—have been alive with drones, and no one seems to have a clue where they’re coming from or how to deal with them. Reports keep flooding in, with sightings over critical areas like New Jersey’s infrastructure and Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Biden administration, unsurprisingly, has offered little more than bumbling excuses and bureaucratic shrugs. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under the weak leadership of Alejandro Mayorkas, seems incapable of providing a clear or effective response.
It started in New Jersey, where large drones—some reportedly with six- to eight-foot wingspans—have been buzzing over highways, neighborhoods, and even airports. The FAA confirmed multiple incidents, including runway shutdowns due to drone sightings. These are not casual hobbyist toys. They’re sophisticated, coordinated, and evasive. Some eyewitnesses say they’ve seen fleets of drones operating in formation, flying too high and too fast for standard equipment to track.
Last night I went out with local police to spot drone flying over New Jersey, here’s what I saw. We drove to Round Valley Reservoir and the officer pointed to lights moving low over the tree line. Sometimes they were solid white light, others flashed of red and green.THREAD pic.twitter.com/ly7kUUDWDn
— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) December 13, 2024
Now, the problem has spread. In Ohio, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base had to suspend operations because of drone activity overhead. Let that sink in: a military installation critical to national security was effectively paralyzed by drones. And what’s the response from our federal government? A lot of vague reassurances and empty rhetoric.
Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas has been trotted out on Sunday talk shows, delivering the same tired, canned responses. “We’re deploying resources,” he says. “We’re working with state and local authorities.” Really? Because state police in New Jersey openly admit they don’t have the technology to properly track or identify these drones, let alone stop them. Mayorkas even admitted DHS doesn’t have the authority to neutralize drones in most cases. Congress supposedly needs to “expand” their powers. Translation: nothing is happening anytime soon.
This is the Biden administration in a nutshell: problems arise, they stammer about “resources,” and nothing gets done. From the border crisis to inflation, now to drone invasions, this crew couldn’t manage their way out of a paper bag.
🤔 So DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas now says, “There’s no question that people are seeing drones.”
But on Friday, he spoke to CNN and shrugged off the mysterious drone sightings along the East Coast: “We haven’t seen anything unusual.”
Make up your mind. pic.twitter.com/0Cn1A5rpLH
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 15, 2024
The implications are terrifying. If our government can’t track or control drones flying over civilian and military airspace, what else can’t they handle? These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could be anything: advanced commercial technology, foreign espionage tools, or worse. The lack of transparency from federal agencies only fuels suspicion. Are these surveillance operations? Test runs for something bigger? The American people deserve answers, and fast.
Meanwhile, private companies like SpaceX and Amazon are likely wondering why the federal government hasn’t caught up to technology they mastered years ago. If Elon Musk can land rockets on a barge in the middle of the ocean, why can’t DHS identify or intercept a drone?
Chris Christie says drones flew over his NJ home, too — and rips DHS chief Mayorkas for claiming nothing ‘unusual’: ‘It’s just wrong!’ https://t.co/y2Cs5v0FtT pic.twitter.com/q85dVbki1n
— New York Post (@nypost) December 15, 2024
This is not just an issue of technology; it’s an issue of leadership—or the lack thereof. The Biden administration has failed to take this seriously. The sight of drones shutting down critical infrastructure and military bases should have sent shockwaves through Washington. Instead, we get half-hearted promises to “investigate” while states and localities scramble to protect their skies with outdated equipment.
If Trump were already in office, you can bet this would be handled differently. There’d be immediate action: military intervention if necessary, technological upgrades for local law enforcement, and public accountability from federal agencies. Biden’s inability—or unwillingness—to act is yet another example of his administration’s systemic failure to protect American interests.
