mexican cartel Archives - Dr. Rich Swier

Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford is introducing a bill to combat an increase in drone activity from Mexican cartels on the U.S.-Mexico border, the Daily Caller has learned.

The Border Drone Assessment Act, which Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is co-sponsoring, would require the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security to conduct a threat assessment on unmanned aircraft activity at the nation’s borders, according to a review by the Caller.

That threat assessment would include a detailed report on who specifically is operating the drones, what threat they pose to US national security, what data they may be collecting and how they use it.

The bill would require the Under Secretary to submit a detailed report to Congress including a description of the tactics used by the drone operators, a description of current U.S. capabilities to countermand the drones and a description current policies in place to protect the privacy and civil liberties of people who legally operate drones near the border.

“When American airspace is violated by cartels and bad actors, America should be able to defend itself. We need a clear strategy to counter unmanned aircraft systems that cartels use and that threaten border security,” Senator Lankford told the Caller.

The U.S. military has noticed an increase in cartel-operated drones in recent years, though they had yet to actively engage them as of April.

That could be changing, as the Department of Defense (DoD) recently indicated they may soon be deploying aerial countermeasures to combat the cartels’ use of drones. The DoD is “preparing the path for employment of [counter-small uncrewed aerial system or CsUAS] activities along the border,” acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs Mark Ditlevson told Defense Scoop in April.

“As we address these threats and consider using our own drone technology, we must prioritize Americans’ privacy and maintain transparency about the threats along our border,” Lankford concluded.

“Drone technology is rapidly evolving, and in the wrong hands, it can pose risks to our national security,” Sen. Kelly told the Caller.

“With this bill, we’re working to stay ahead of that threat, keeping Arizona families and our country safe,” Kelly concluded.

Lankford previously introduced the Protecting the Border from Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act in 2023 to require various federal agencies to collaborate “for a unified posture on counter-unmanned aircraft systems capabilities and protections at certain facilities at or near a U.S. international border.”

AUTHOR

Robert McGreevy

Reporter.

Republican Texas Rep. Troy Nehls sent a letter Thursday to President Joe Biden, calling on him to invoke the Guarantee Clause that would require the Executive Branch to protect the states from a foreign invasion.

The Daily Caller first obtained the letter that was signed by 32 other Republicans. In the letter, the GOP lawmakers mention 2.6 million encounters with migrants, reports of cartel members shooting at border enforcement and the over 100,000 Americans who have died from drug overdoses in a 12-month period.

“The Constitution clearly states that the President must guarantee states protection from invasion,” Nehls told the Daily Caller before sending the letter.

“With 2.6 million encounters at our border since President Biden took office, over 100,000 fatal fentanyl overdoses at the hands of the drug-traffickers, and numerous violent attacks on our brave border enforcement, it is clear the United States is facing invasion from the South. President Biden has turned his back on his constitutional duty to stop this border invasion — if he does not act, Republicans will when we take back Congress in November,” he added.

READ THE LETTER HERE:

Border agents encountered a record two million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021. In fiscal 2021, they seized $3.31 billion in counterfeit goods, over 319,000 pounds of marijuana, over 190,000 pounds of methamphetamine and over 97,000 pounds of cocaine.

The letter also received support from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and Citizens for Renewing America.

“For the past year, we have encouraged border state governors to acknowledge an invasion is occurring on our southern border due to the intentional non-enforcement of our laws and a total failure of the Federal government to uphold Article 4, Section 4 of the Constitution. What is transpiring on our border constitutes an invasion, and to date, the actions taken by governors has not alleviated or remedied the problem. Cartels maintain operational control of our unsecured order, facilitating an ongoing invasion that harms American communities. However, if these governors would use their authority to invoke the Self Defense Clause, it would be a gamechanger and stop the flow of devastation ruining our country,” Wade Miller, the executive director of Citizens for Renewing for America, told the Daily Caller.

Dan Stein, president of FAIR, also shared his support for Nehls’ letter.

“There is no question that border states are still in the middle of a historic crisis with no end sight, and sadly, Texas is the epicenter. Dangerous drugs and unknown individuals flood across our southern border every single day. Congressman Nehls outlines a persuasive case for why the federal government has abandoned its duties under the Constitution to protect the states from invasion, and FAIR supports his reasoning wholeheartedly,” Stein said.

The Daily Caller contacted the White House about the letter, to which White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred the Caller to the National Security Council (NSC). The NSC did immediately not provide a comment about the letter.

AUTHOR

HENRY RODGERS

Senior Congressional correspondent. Follow Henry Rodgers On Twitter

Tag Archive for: mexican cartel

EXCLUSIVE: Cartels Use Flying Machines For Crime At Border. Republican Senator Wants To Stop It

Robert McGreevy