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DHS Flies Predator Drones Over Los Angeles Protests
- Customs and Border Patrol flew a Predator drone over political protests in Los Angeles during the weekend of June 8-9, 2025.
- The drone surveillance followed a pattern of federal involvement in protests, with LA Mayor Karen Bass criticizing the city as a 'test case' for authoritarian tactics.
- Flight data showed the aircraft, sometimes without a callsign, flew hexagonal routes over Paramount and downtown, and tracking confirmed its subsequent flight to the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Bass stated, "nothing warranted the raids" and called the chaos "started by Washington DC," while prior use of drones during 2020 protests raised legal concerns.
- The drone operation signals a significant federal escalation in protest monitoring, with criticisms pointing to potential overreach and the invocation of military force to arrest lawbreakers.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Reaper Drones used to assist ICE amid raids and protests in Los Angeles
MQ-9 Reaper Drones, often used in foreign combat zones, were flying over protesters in Los Angeles. Aviation experts first tracked the drones in the skies above Paramount and downtown Los Angeles over the weekend of June 7 and into Monday, June 9, amid mass demonstrations against the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration raids across the country. Civil rights advocates raise concerns The drone flew over southern California before heading …
DHS Using Drones Capable of Surveillance Amid L.A. Protests
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using drones during the protests in Los Angeles, the department has confirmed, further fueling controversy surrounding the escalating law enforcement response to the demonstrations that broke out as immigration raids occurred throughout the city. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), an agency within DHS, confirmed on Thursday that it is providing “aerial support” to law en…
Used by the U.S. Army, it is not intended to monitor civilian gatherings in the U.S. Until now.
Predator drones flown over LA protests, unrest
Video clips posted to social media by the Department of Homeland Security labeled as “DHS drone footage” appeared to confirm this week that unarmed MQ-9 Predator drones, operated by the Air and Marine Operations unit of Customs and Border Protection, conducted high-altitude surveillance of protests that followed immigration enforcement operations around downtown Los Angeles. The video clips were watermarked with...
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