US immigration agency flies drones capable of surveillance over LA protests
CBP also said in a statement that its air and marine operations were 'not engaged in the surveillance of first amendment activities', but that they are 'providing officer safety surveillance when requested by officers'.
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday posted a video on X that the agency said was DHS drone footage and bore a CBP air and marine operations watermark. It included zoomed in clips of protestors on the streets.
CBP's confirmation of its drone usage comes after the LA Times also reported that an LAPD helicopter flying over protesters announced to them, 'I have all of you on camera. I'm going to come to your house.' The Guardian US contacted the LAPD and has not heard back.
This is not the first time the DHS has flown drones over protests. In 2020, the DHS dispatched drones over at least 15 cities across the US where people gathered to protest about the murder of George Floyd and logged more than 270 hours of surveillance footage. The LAPD has also ramped up surveillance in response to first amendment activity. During the city's George Floyd protests, LAPD sent requests to Amazon for Ring doorbell footage that specifically sought videos of the protests.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Elon Musk launches ‘America Party' after Trump signs historic spending bill: 'Waste & graft'
Elon Musk says the two-party system is broken, and he just launched a new political party to prove it. On Saturday, Musk announced on X, the social media platform he owns, the formation of the "America Party," calling it a direct response to what he described as a corrupt political establishment that no longer represents the American people. The announcement followed a viral July 4 poll on X, where Musk asked whether voters wanted independence from what he called the "two-party (some would say uniparty) system." Elon Musk Indicates He'll Donate To Rep. Thomas Massie, A Republican Who Has Been Excoriated By Trump Over 1.2 million votes were cast, with 65.4% saying "yes." "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it," Musk posted Saturday. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." Read On The Fox News App The move came just after President Donald Trump signed the "big, beautiful bill" into law Friday at the White House. The sweeping $3.3 trillion legislation includes tax cuts, infrastructure spending and stimulus measures and has drawn criticism from fiscal conservatives and libertarians. Though Musk did not reference the bill directly in his America Party posts, the timing suggests rising friction between the billionaire and the president. Musk has previously warned that unchecked spending by both parties threatens the long-term health of the economy. The new party, according to Musk's posts, will target a few key seats in Congress. The goal is to create a swing bloc powerful enough to hold the balance of power and block what Musk sees as the worst excesses of both Republicans and Democrats. Elon Musk Says Us Is Ruled By 'Porky Pig Party' As Trump Defends His Vision Against Former Ally's Criticism Some on the right voiced concern in the comments section that a third party could split the conservative vote and help Democrats win more easily. "Your third party will disproportionately take votes from the right vs the left and give the left an easier path to power," conservative commentator Shawn Farash posted. Others, like Joey Mannarino, urged Musk to focus instead on reforming the GOP from within. Critics also pointed out that the X poll was informal, not limited to American voters and vulnerable to bots. Third parties have traditionally had a difficult time gaining ground in American politics as the system is built for two dominant parties. With the Electoral College, winner-take-all elections and strict ballot access laws, outsiders cannot meaningfully compete. Even when a third-party candidate catches fire, it rarely lasts beyond a single election cycle. One of the biggest third-party efforts in recent history was Ross Perot's 1992 run. He earned nearly 19% of the popular vote as an independent but didn't win a single Electoral College vote. It was the closest a third-party candidate got to the White House after President Teddy Roosevelt's famed Bull Moose Party run in 1912 against his onetime protégé, William Howard article source: Elon Musk launches 'America Party' after Trump signs historic spending bill: 'Waste & graft'
CNN
27 minutes ago
- CNN
Musk says he is forming new political party after fallout with Trump
Billionaire Elon Musk said Saturday he is forming a third political party, after a dramatic falling out with Donald Trump, indicating he will make good on threats he made if the president's domestic policy bill became law. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' Trump's former 'first buddy' said on his social media platform, X. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' Musk, the largest individual donor to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and, until recently, a close adviser to the president who spearheaded his administration's push to cut government waste, had criticized Trump's 'big beautiful bill' because of estimates that it would add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit. Musk's criticism of the bill was the catalyst for a major falling out between the two men last month. That feud seemingly cooled after Musk expressed regret and deleted the most incendiary social media posts he made about Trump, but it reignited in the last several days as the bill neared passage. Trump signed the bill into law on Friday. It's unclear to what extent Musk has taken steps to legally form the party, which would be required to register with the Federal Election Commission. The most recent FEC filings showed no indication that has happened. The world's richest man has indicated he wants a party that is fiscally conservative and reins in spending but has offered few other details about what the party's platform would be. Musk and Trump hold similar views on contemporary social issues. But Musk has argued the Republican policy agenda will increase the debt, calling it 'debt slavery.' The two-party system in the United States has long been criticized by both registered Democrats and registered Republicans, but efforts in the last century to form a third party have shown little success. Billionaire Ross Perot ran for president as an independent in 1992, winning nearly a fifth of the popular vote, but carried no states in the election, which was won by Bill Clinton. As CNN previously reported, experts in campaign finance and political science say it is financially and legally difficult to create a new party, and voters and candidates are hesitant to join. Musk said in other posts to social media this week that his party would become an active political force during next year's midterm elections and that it would initially focus on supporting candidates in just a handful of House and Senate races. Trump, in turn, has made his own threats against the man who at one point was his most visible adviser. The president said earlier this week the government may reconsider its massive contracts with Musk's companies and described the Department of Government Efficiency, which the billionaire previously helmed, as a monster that may 'go back and eat Elon.'
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
NORAD intercepts plane in Trump's Bedminster no-fly zone: 'No excuses'
A fighter jet scrambled by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted a civilian aircraft Saturday afternoon after it entered restricted airspace over Bedminster, New Jersey, where President Donald Trump is spending the holiday weekend. The pilot flew into a temporary flight restriction (TFR) zone just before 2:40 p.m. ET, according to a NORAD statement. The aircraft was safely escorted out of the area after a standard "headbutt" maneuver was used to get the pilot's attention. This was the fourth restricted airspace violation of the day and not the last. NORAD says another incursion happened later, making for five unauthorized entries in a single day over presidential airspace. NORAD responded swiftly, using its layered defense system of radar, satellites and fighter aircraft designed to protect U.S. and Canadian skies. The airspace over Bedminster is locked down any time Trump is in town. Officials are warning private pilots to do their homework before takeoff. "If you're flying anywhere near Bedminster, NJ, you'd better check NOTAMs 1353, 1358, 2246, and 2247," 1st Air Force (America's AOC) posted on X. "No excuses! Stay sharp, stay legal, and stay out of restricted airspace."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe FAA, Department of Defense and NORAD did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
