States demand power to stop drones delivering drugs, weapons into prisons

"We have a situation where drones are being used to drop drugs, cellphones, weapons, razors, knives, whatever it may be behind the wire in a prison," Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr told Fox News Digital. "It's causing all kinds of problems."

In a Friday letter to the White House's Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty, Carr led a group of more than 20 state attorneys general from across the country asking for "carefully defined authority" for states to detect, monitor and mitigate unauthorized drones, including stopping them before contraband is delivered.

Airspace in the United States traditionally has been controlled by the federal government, leaving state and local officials with limited authority to respond to drones involved in illicit activity.

In recent years, however, states and law enforcement groups have increasingly pushed for expanded authority, arguing that federal restrictions have left them able to detect drone threats but not stop them in real time.

Congress has started to respond, including through provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act that would allow trained state and local agencies to take limited counter-drone actions in certain circumstances, such as near prisons and critical infrastructure.

But those authorities remain restricted, and many state officials say they do not go far enough.

Carr said the limitations have created uncertainty for officials responding to drone activity over prisons.

"There is a lot of question as to whether federal law preempts state law," he said. "It doesn't say specifically what you're allowed to do nor what you are prohibited from doing."

The attorneys general argued in their letter that this lack of clarity has left correctional officials - who often are the first to detect drone activity -without the tools to intervene before contraband is delivered.

State officials recorded roughly 500 drone-related incidents over Georgia correctional facilities in 2025, according to Carr, resulting in the seizure of nearly 1,200 cellphones.

"We need to give corrections and law enforcement the tools they need to stop it before it becomes a mass casualty event."

The push from state attorneys general comes amid a broader effort by state and local officials to gain greater authority over drones, particularly as their use in criminal activity has increased.

Law enforcement groups and corrections officials have in recent years urged Congress to expand counter-drone powers, arguing that while agencies can often detect unauthorized drones, they lack the legal authority to stop them.

"We commend Congress for supporting proposals that provide funding for drone detection and tracking systems. But without corresponding legal authority to mitigate threats, that funding cannot be fully leveraged to protect our people."

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment on the letter.