A group of Republican lawmakers has given top Trump officials a hard deadline to give them clarity on how they plan to address the presence of drones used by Mexican cartels at the southern border.
In a letter addressed at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FAA Acting Administrator Chris Rochelau, the lawmakers discuss the threat posed by drones in general, and say that during a recent visit to the border they "heard firsthand from commanders and supervisors on the ground regarding their concern to be able to conduct c-UAS operations should the cartels attempt a drone attack on U.S. service members or federal law enforcement."
In this context, they gave the officials 30 days to answer five questions, including which agency is primarily responsible for responding to such threats, the steps being taken to determine if drones pose an immediate threat and how quickly can a determination be made to take down a hostile drone if necessary.
The question comes as the use of covert drones along the U.S.-Mexico border has increased significantly over the past months. Cartels and criminal organizations have started using drones to identify where authorities are and how they can manage illegal entries into the U.S., according to Border Report. "We are trying to identify exactly where they are to stop that tactic," Walter N. Slosar, interim Chief Agent of the Border Patrol's El Paso Sector told the outlet.
Apart from tracking down their movements, criminal groups have also used drones to attack Border Patrol agents. Just last month, an alleged group of human smugglers linked to an undisclosed cartel exchanged gunfire with CBP agents as they tried to cross the border.
An internal memo from CBP suggested that cartels have reportedly been given "green light" to attack agents with explosive devices attached to drones and reminded agents to wear ballistic armors and use long firearms when performing their duties.
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