Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), is seeking data from U.S. law enforcement agencies on the volume and nature of weapons identified or recovered at the southern border. This includes the increased use of drones by transnational criminal organizations to surveil U.S. law enforcement or deploy explosives. Grassley’s inquiry comes as FBI Director Chris Wray warned the war in the Middle East has raised the threat of attacks against Americans to a “whole other level.”
In letters to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Grassley cited Mexican drug cartels’ use of weaponized drones to drop explosive payloads on their adversaries or spy on U.S. law enforcement positions. Hamas used drones to drop explosives on targets in its recent terrorist attack against Israel.
“The recent heinous attacks by Hamas terrorists, who used arms and explosive-rigged drones against Israeli civilians, underscores the very real risk that could happen at our southern border and against Americans. Moreover, recent reports warning of the risk that Hamas and Hezbollah fighters could soon attempt to enter the U.S. through Mexico highlights that the need to immediately secure our southern border is paramount,” Grassley wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security identified drones used by Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations as one of the greatest domestic threats in 2024. According to CBP, in just one year, more than 10,000 drone incursions and 25,000 drone detections have occurred in the Rio Grande Valley area alone.
Grassley is also seeking information on the influx of armed illegal immigrants crossing the Southern border, citing recent reports of armed cartel operatives crisscrossing the boundary and shots fired at CBP agents.
Grassley is the author of the bipartisan Drone Act, which would criminalize dangerous drone activity – including by drug and human traffickers
Read Grassley’s letters to ATF, CBP and HSI.
