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Cartels use drones to scout border agents and map smuggling routes, expert warns
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MEXICO CITY: Mexican cartels are said to be using commercial and modified drones to watch U.S. security personnel, map patrol routines and support smuggling corridors along the southern border as authorities expand efforts to disable the aircraft.
The U.S. military detected 378 drone incursions along the border during the previous 30 days, Brig. Gen. Brian Filler of Joint Task Force-Southern Border recently told reporters. He said the trend was increasing, and the aircraft were typically commercial drones with cameras used for surveillance tied to smuggling and human trafficking.
«On the border, the most common application is surveillance and reconnaissance as cartels look to establish a pattern of life for U.S. security personnel and support smuggling outcomes across the border,» Austin Doctor told Fox News Digital.
Doctor directs strategic initiatives at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center and teaches criminology and criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
US MILITARY LAUNCHES FIRST AUTONOMOUS WARFARE COMMAND TO DEPLOY UNMANNED SYSTEMS ACROSS LATIN AMERICA
A new law allows law enforcement in Arizona to shoot down drones suspected of participating in criminal activity along the U.S.-Mexico border. (iStock)
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson confirmed the growing threat, telling Fox News Digital, «Rapidly advancing Unmanned Aircraft System technology presents persistent threats, including counter-surveillance, illicit cargo movement and potential kinetic attacks.
«Cartels increasingly exploit UAS for surveillance, illicit activities, monitoring law enforcement, scouting crossing points and coordinating smuggling operations. CBP detected over 42,000 near-border UAS flights in (fiscal 2025) and over 37,000 in (fiscal 2026), underscoring the scale of this challenge.
«Under congressional authority (6 USC 124n), the Department of Homeland Security has approved Counter-UAS authorities for CBP. U.S. Border Patrol C-UAS operations, with DHS Secretary approval, cover the entire Southwest border and areas extending 100 miles inland for detection, identification, monitoring, and tracking of UASs. USBP C-UAS operates in all Southwest border sectors to detect, track, and mitigate these threats.»
Doctor explained how the cartels are using drones.
«Most cartels and cartel associates still rely on commercial-off-the-shelf drones,» he said. More sophisticated aircraft are emerging, however, including «larger agricultural drone devices.»
He added, «Cartels continue to innovate their drone designs, often focused on increasing payload sizes, improving resistance to countermeasures and boosting operational capabilities.»
A pig walks near the rubble of a home after an alleged drone attack by the Los Ardillos cartel in Tula, Chilapa de Alvarez municipality, Guerrero state, Mexico, May 19, 2026. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)
He identified surveillance and logistics as the dominant border roles, with weaponized use more frequently documented inside Mexico.
«Cartels and cartel affiliates use drones for a wide range of tactics and operations. … That includes kinetic attacks on rival factions, civilians in Mexico and local security forces.»
Doctor said NCITE research identified the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, as «a key driver of drone innovation and adoption within the Mexico cartel ecosystem,» although drone use has spread among cartels and across Mexican states.
FBI WARNS BATTLEFIELD-STYLE DRONE ATTACKS COULD REACH US: ‘ONLY A MATTER OF TIME’
A U.S. Army soldier uses binoculars while riding a Stryker armored vehicle at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and after the establishment of a 260-mile military zone along the U.S. southern border in New Mexico and Texas, in El Paso, Texas, May 22, 2025. (Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)
A 2025 seizure in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, shows how border regions can support those programs. Mexico’s security cabinet said soldiers and state police detained a man and seized 18 drones, 151 explosive objects, two improvised explosive devices, a drone detector and three counter-drone devices. The official announcement did not identify a cartel. Doctor said the safehouse «was reported as linked to the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel.»
Weaponized drones have also reached a Mexican border city. In October 2025, Baja California’s prosecutor said a drone dropped homemade explosive devices at an anti-kidnapping prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, damaging four vehicles but causing no injuries. Authorities described it as criminal retaliation but did not publicly identify a cartel.
Mexican National Guard officers guard the area around the prosecutor’s office after a drone attack the night before,in Playas de Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico, Oct. 16, 2025. (Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images)
Doctor said Tijuana was among the exceptions to the pattern of attacks occurring farther inside Mexico. Border regions, he said, remain «critical facilitation hubs,» and the risk of increased kinetic attacks there «remains credible.»
Mexico says it is responding with interdictions, counter-drone equipment, military operations and new criminal penalties. During last month’s Águila Alta operation in the Tijuana-San Diego area, the defense ministry said Mexican forces neutralized five drones, detained one person and seized a gun, magazines and ammunition.
U.S. Border Patrol search, trauma and rescue agents from the Tucson Sector and Air and Marine Operations participate in a demonstration of the rescue of a migrant lost in the Brown Canyon desert near Sasabe, Arizona. (Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images)
One aircraft was initially detected in the U.S. and later neutralized in Mexico following information-sharing with Customs and Border Protection. Officials said the operation deterred criminal activity and strengthened coordination but released no before-and-after data showing whether drone traffic subsequently declined.
Mexico made certain drone-related conduct a federal crime in 2024, including dropping explosives, adapting aircraft to carry weapons or drugs and surveilling public officials.
CBP OFFICERS SEIZE $67 MILLION IN ILLEGAL DRUGS AT SAN DIEGO BORDER PORTS, DHS SAYS
National Guard officers install a checkpoint to inspect motorists before crossing into the United States at San Ysidro Port of Entry Feb. 6, 2025, in Tijuana, Mexico (Francisco Vega/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Mexico deployed 500 soldiers and National Guard members, two helicopters, drones and mobile and fixed counter-drone systems in five Tamaulipas municipalities. The Navy separately reported 159 personnel, 11 vehicles and two drones under Operation Sable.
In response to Fox News Digital’s questions, a Department of War spokesperson said Joint Task Force-Southern Border, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security use layered monitoring and detection systems to «observe, evaluate and, if needed, engage threats.»
Coast Guard personnel exchanged gunfire with people on the Mexican side of the border. (Brenda Bazan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
What remains unknown is the number of cartel-operated drones, which groups control individual flights and whether Mexico’s countermeasures are producing results.
Doctor said increased counter-drone resources are important but cautioned that «it is almost certain that cartels will continue to innovate and adapt.»
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When voters rate the economy and the president negatively just weeks before Election Day, the incumbent party is vulnerable, and that’s certainly the case in the latest survey.
The economic landscape is stark. Six in 10 voters say the cost of living is their top economic worry, overshadowing government spending (15%), jobs and income inequality (7% each), tariffs (6%) and taxes (5%).
Majorities rate the economy negatively (74%) and expect it to worsen next year (53%), while two-thirds are dissatisfied with how things are going in the country (66%). Few, 18%, say their family is better off compared to two years ago. Independents say they’re worse off (52%) and think the economy will get worse (70%).
POLL: IT’S A LONE STAR SENATE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN TALARICO AND PAXTON
A majority of voters, 55%, say inflation is «not at all» under control. That’s up from a low of 45% earlier this year, and includes 30% of Republicans.
President Donald Trump’s lowest job rating is on inflation: 22% approve, a new low. Last summer, 36% approved. Four years ago, before the 2022 midterms, 29% approved of former President Joe Biden’s performance on inflation.
Disapproval of the job Trump is doing has reached 77% on inflation, 70% on the economy, 69% on tariffs and 64% on foreign policy. A smaller share, but still a majority, disapprove of his handling of immigration (56% disapprove), while border security is the only issue that is close to positive (50% approve, 50% disapprove).
Trump’s overall job approval is 36%, his lowest ever in a survey for either term. It had been holding steady at 39% since May. The decline is mainly driven by decreases among voters under age 45, those with annual household income below $50,000, non-White voters, and those without a college degree.
POLL: MICHIGAN VOTERS SPLIT BETWEEN EL-SAYED AND ROGERS
Approval stands at a low of 76% among Republicans. That’s down 3 points since last month, 12 points since September 2025, and 16 points since early in his second term (March 2025).
As in most midterms, voters are prone to punish the party in power: 7 in 10 say they will vote to send a message to Trump, with nearly twice as many expressing opposition (47%) as support (25%).
If the election were today, 54% of voters say they would back the Democratic candidate in their House district and 45% would support the Republican. That is outside the margin of error and is a wider lead than last month when Democrats were ahead by 51%-44%. The race narrows among those saying they are certain to vote, with the Democratic candidate ahead by 52%-46%.
The survey finds about the same number self-identify as Democrats (43%) and Republicans (41%), and both parties feel equally certain about voting (62% and 64% respectively), while more Democrats (61%) than Republicans (52%) say they are extremely interested in the election.
Party loyalty is solid: 98% of Democrats support their party’s candidate, and 94% of Republicans back theirs. Independents favor the Democrats by 26 points.
The Democratic candidate is the choice among Whites with a degree, those under age 45, women, union households and Hispanics. The Republican is ahead among Whites without a college degree (White men without a degree in particular), those 65 and over, voters who attend religious services regularly, military veterans and White evangelical Christians.
While 43% of Hispanic voters supported Trump in the 2024 election, just 31% prefer the Republican candidate this year.
«When the country is this closely divided in terms of partisanship, slight differences in defection and turnout rates can make all the difference,» said Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who helps conduct the Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. «Republicans have time to close these apparent gaps, but it’s getting late.»
Meanwhile, Democrats lead on 10 out of 13 issue concerns.
The top five voter concerns are government corruption (60% extremely concerned), inflation (58%), gas prices (50%), government leadership (49%), and healthcare (48%). And double digits more trust the Democrats than the Republicans to handle each of those.
Republicans retain the advantage on crime (by 10 points) and border security (R+8), while views are closely divided on immigration (R+3). The Democrats are seen as better on healthcare (D+22), inflation (D+16), gas prices (D+12), voting rights (D+12), election integrity (D+12), government leadership (D+11), what’s taught in public schools (D+11), artificial intelligence (D+10), government corruption (D+10) and foreign policy (D+9).
Republicans have lost ground on key issues compared to four years ago, when more voters trusted them by 21 points on border security, 13 points on inflation and 9 points on foreign policy.
Other issues that voters are extremely concerned about are the Iran war (42%), immigration (35%), crime (34%), voter suppression (32%), AI technology (32%), what’s taught in public schools (29%), voter fraud (28%) and border security (25%).
While corruption in government and inflation are the top two worries about both parties, far more Democrats (72% and 70%) than Republicans (47% and 49%) are extremely concerned.
The issue that helps explain the Democrats’ advantage isn’t an issue at all. By a 14-point margin, more voters think the Democrats will do a better job «fighting for people like you.» Majorities of White voters with a college degree (53%), men (52%), women (60%) and non-White voters (77%) think Democrats will fight for them. Whites without a college degree are split 49-49%.
Despite their issue advantage, just 35% say Democrats have a clear plan for dealing with the country’s problems, and 33% say the same about the Republicans. That reverses the Republican advantage from July 2025, when 43% said the Republicans had a clear plan compared with 33% for the Democrats.
There’s deep dissatisfaction with lawmakers: 15% approve of Congress, while 84% disapprove. Remarkably, that’s above the low of 9% approval in October 2013.
Both parties are viewed negatively. The Democratic Party is underwater by 16 points (42% favorable, 58% unfavorable), while ratings of the GOP are net negative by 23 points (38% favorable, 61% unfavorable).
Yet, favorable ratings fail to translate directly into vote choice. One third of those backing the Democratic candidate (31%) dislike the party, while 23% of those supporting the Republican dislike the GOP. Among the 26% who dislike both parties (double haters), Democrats lead 62%-36%.
Here’s how polarized the parties are: Just 16% of Republicans say that Democrats love America and want what’s best for the U.S., and even fewer Democrats, 6%, think Republicans do.
Compared to four years ago, the number of voters saying Democrats want what’s best for the country is up four points, while fewer say Republicans love the country now by 6 points.
Fifty-one percent of voters have a favorable view of capitalism compared with 32% for socialism. Compared to a year ago, positive ratings of capitalism are down 2 points while they are up 5 points for socialism. Eight in ten of those with a positive view of socialism support the Democratic candidate, while 6 in 10 of those viewing capitalism favorably back the Republican.
Voters who plan to cast their ballots early favor the Democratic candidate (by 19 points) as do mail voters (D+33), while the candidate choice splits among those voting in person (early or on Election Day).
Six in 10 oppose U.S. military action against Iran, and they back the Democrats by 56 points.
CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE
A new high of 46% think the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, and those voters favor the Democratic candidate by 42 points, while the 4 in 10 who think U.S. support of Israel is about right pick the Republican by 27 points.
Nearly 6 in 10 have a negative view of artificial intelligence technology, and they back the Democratic candidate by 27 points.
Conducted Oct. 9-12, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,202 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (786) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (302). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±2.5 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling errors, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Voter Analysis and voter file data.
Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
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A woman who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was rescued after spending 20 hours in the water clinging to a lifebuoy, the Hellenic Coast Guard said.
The 44-year-old Salvadoran national was traveling aboard Odyssey of the Seas as it sailed through the Ionian Sea near the island of Zakynthos on Saturday, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs told USA Today.
The cargo ship MSC Rossella III was assisting in the search and spotted the woman inside the bright orange lifebuoy in dark waters. The vessel alerted authorities, and a Greek Coast Guard crew arrived to toss her ropes and pull her to safety.
CRUISE PASSENGER JUMPS FROM BALCONY AND DIES AFTER FALLING OVERBOARD INTO OCEAN
A Royal Caribbean passenger was rescued in the waters near a Greek island last week after she jumped overboard. (Hellenic Coast Guard; Getty Images)
The woman reportedly told authorities she jumped off the ship because she «wanted to disembark,» a Coast Guard spokesperson told Agence France-Presse, adding that «she was 20 hours at sea.»
Following her rescue, she was transported to the port of Katakolo and brought to a local hospital, where a prosecutor ordered a psychiatric evaluation, according to the Hellenic Coast Guard.
CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DIES AFTER FALLING FROM BALCONY – FBI INVESTIGATES HIGH-SEAS HORROR
Greek authorities reportedly deployed a Coast Guard vessel and military helicopter to search for a woman who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. (moisseyev/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Royal Caribbean for comment.
The incident follows a similar stunt last year when a man jumped off Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in an attempt to evade nearly $17,000 in gambling debt.
A 44-year-old woman reportedly went overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas while the cruise ship was traveling from Greece toward Italy. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The passenger, Jey Gonzalez-Diaz, survived the jump and was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
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“No estamos listos para ir a Marte”: la advertencia de la astronauta Sophie Adenot tras pasar 237 días en el espacio y volver a la Tierra con mareos
La cápsula acababa de abrirse en el océano Pacífico y Sophie Adenot tenía náuseas por el movimiento del mar. Tras 237 días en la Estación Espacial Internacional, la astronauta francesa formuló una frase que contrastó con los proyectos para llegar al planeta rojo: “No estamos listos para ir a Marte”.
Cinco días después de su amerizaje, Adenot explicó en una conferencia de prensa de la Agencia Espacial Europea (ESA), celebrada en Colonia, Alemania, que una misión tripulada a Marte aún exige avances técnicos que no están disponibles. La francesa regresó a la Tierra, tras casi ocho meses en órbita durante la misión εpsilon.
“Necesitamos rupturas tecnológicas”, afirmó Adenot. Su advertencia partió de una experiencia personal: el cuerpo humano necesita readaptarse a la gravedad terrestre después de períodos prolongados de ingravidez, incluso cuando los astronautas cuentan con entrenamiento, atención médica y equipos de ejercicio a bordo.
Secuelas físicas tras ocho meses en el espacio
Al volver a la Tierra, la astronauta de Francia describió una sensación contradictoria. “Justo después de que se abrió la cápsula, lo primero que dije fue ‘devuélvanme al espacio’, porque estaba mareada, con el mar moviéndose”, relató.
Adenot señaló que más de la mitad de los astronautas experimenta síntomas físicos tras el retorno de una misión de larga duración. Debilidad intensa, náuseas y vómitos pueden aparecer cuando el organismo vuelve a estar sometido a la gravedad después de meses en microgravedad.
La astronauta aterrizó en Colonia el 10 de octubre, donde inició un período de recuperación y estudios médicos. La ESA informó que permanecerá entre dos y tres semanas bajo seguimiento en las instalaciones del Centro Aeroespacial Alemán, conocido como DLR, antes de continuar con su rehabilitación.
En una aparición ante la prensa tras su llegada a Europa, Adenot admitió: “Mi principal desafío ahora es sostenerme sola de pie”, declaró.
Un viaje a Marte duraría entre seis y nueve meses con la tecnología actual
La advertencia de la astronauta tiene un punto central: el tiempo de vuelo. Con los sistemas de propulsión actuales, un trayecto hasta Marte puede demandar entre seis y nueve meses. Ese período es comparable con el tiempo que la francesa pasó en la Estación Espacial Internacional, aunque las condiciones de ambos viajes serían muy diferentes.
La estación orbital dispone de áreas para moverse, equipos para actividad física y una infraestructura preparada para estadías extensas. Una nave destinada a transportar personas a Marte tendría, previsiblemente, menos espacio y menos recursos para compensar los efectos de la falta de gravedad sobre el cuerpo.
“Con la tecnología que tenemos actualmente, una misión de muy larga duración, un viaje de varios meses a Marte, imaginen el desastre”, sostuvo la astronauta. “Nos encontramos con incapacidades fisiológicas y dificultades para gestionar lo básico”, añadió.
La microgravedad afecta músculos, huesos, equilibrio, coordinación y sistema cardiovascular. En términos simples, el cuerpo se adapta a vivir sin el peso habitual que ejerce la Tierra. Al regresar, acciones cotidianas como caminar, permanecer de pie o tolerar el movimiento pueden exigir un proceso de readaptación.
Adenot completó una estadía de 237 días, cinco horas y 18 minutos en el espacio, según los datos difundidos por la Agencia Espacial Europea. La misión superó en más de 35 días el anterior récord europeo de vuelo espacial individual, que pertenecía al italiano Luca Parmitano.
La gravedad artificial y viajes más rápidos aparecen como alternativas
Para que una expedición humana a Marte sea viable, Adenot consideró necesarias soluciones que reduzcan los riesgos físicos del trayecto.
“Si tenemos rupturas tecnológicas que nos permitan acelerar el trayecto o, por ejemplo, contar con gravedad artificial, con un vehículo espacial que gire para que los astronautas estén expuestos siempre a una forma de gravedad, entonces podría funcionar. Pero hoy todavía necesitamos varias etapas clave”, explicó Adenot.
La gravedad artificial consiste en generar una fuerza similar a la gravedad terrestre mediante el movimiento de una estructura espacial. Una opción teórica es hacer girar una nave o parte de ella para que la rotación empuje a los tripulantes hacia una superficie. De ese modo, los astronautas podrían mantener parte de las condiciones físicas que tienen en la Tierra.
La francesa se convirtió además en la primera astronauta de Francia en realizar una caminata espacial. Durante su misión llevó a cabo tres salidas al exterior de la estación en 14 días, con un total de 19 horas y 42 minutos de actividad fuera del laboratorio orbital.
El regreso de la astronauta reavivó el debate sobre las misiones tripuladas a Marte
Las declaraciones de Adenot difieren de los calendarios propuestos por empresas y organismos que proyectan misiones hacia Marte en las próximas décadas. La astronauta no descartó esa meta, pero remarcó que la experiencia acumulada en vuelos prolongados muestra límites que aún deben resolverse antes de enviar una tripulación a un viaje interplanetario.
Su mensaje se apoyó en lo vivido durante ocho meses en órbita: incluso con el respaldo de la Estación Espacial Internacional, una misión de larga duración exige un esfuerzo físico considerable. El recorrido a Marte añadiría distancia, aislamiento, menor capacidad de asistencia y una permanencia mucho más extensa lejos de la Tierra.
La recuperación de Adenot continuará en el Centro Europeo de Astronautas de la ESA, en Colonia, donde los equipos médicos y científicos evaluarán los efectos de la misión εpsilon y su readaptación a la gravedad terrestre.
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