The US government has banned unauthorized drone flights within one nautical mile of the border with Mexico, from the ground up to 400 feet. The temporary flight restriction took effect on 16 October, the departments of Transportation, War and Homeland Security announced the same day.
The release does not say how long the restriction will last or how operators can get permission to fly inside it. The FAA will publish a notice to pilots with the details, it said.
The stated target is cartels. “Our warfighters will shoot down any cartel drone that threatens America’s sovereignty,” said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. He said the troops were equipped with technology including directed energy weapons.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke of “cartel drone threats”, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the step would protect border personnel. None of the three gave figures for drone crossings or incidents.
The Pentagon has been building up counter-drone equipment on the border. Its counter-drone task force, JIATF-401, said on 15 October that it had deployed more than $25 million of counter-drone technology there in its first year.
The FAA’s last wide restriction tied to immigration enforcement went the other way. In January it barred drones within 3,000 feet of Homeland Security vehicles and facilities, then replaced the ban with a warning in April, after a Minneapolis photojournalist challenged it in court. That case, Levine v. FAA, is still open.
The new zone is fixed to the border rather than to moving vehicles. Operators must check the FAA’s notice before flying near it, the release said.
