Democrat President Joe Biden faced intense backlash over his administration’s decision on Thursday to block drones that were flying near an overpass in Del Rio, Texas, where thousands upon thousands of migrants were being apprehended by the administration under an overpass.
“We’ve learned that the FAA just implemented a two week TFR (Temporary Flight Restrictions) over the international bridge in Del Rio, TX, meaning we can no longer fly our FOX drone over it to show images of the thousands of migrants,” Fox News reporter Bill Melugin tweeted. “FAA says ‘special security reason.’”
“Fox News has been covering the border nonstop for almost 7 months now, we use the drone constantly, and it has never been an issue,” Melugin said, later adding that the FAA said in a statement: “The Border Patrol requested the temporary flight restriction due to drones interfering with law enforcement flights on the border. As with any temporary flight restriction, media is able to call the FAA to make requests to operate in the area.”
Biden received criticism from numerous lawmakers, journalists, and political commentators over his administration’s seeming move to block the media from showing what is happening on the border.
Below are some of the most notable responses that Melugin’s tweet garnered:
- Terry Moran, ABC News, tweeted: “The Biden administration blocks @FoxNews from flying a drone over the bridge in Texas where thousands of migrants are huddled in squalid conditions. Why? Why after days of the American people seeing these images has this access been cut off now?”
- Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) tweeted: “What a coincidence. The FAA better be ready to explain to Congress why they’re suddenly blocking the media from covering Biden’s border crisis.”
- Dana Loesch, radio host, tweeted: “Biden is taking notes from the CCP.”
- Josh Jordan, political commentator, tweeted: “If this is true, it is a pretty telling admission from the Biden administration that they’ve lost control of the immigration issue at the border. Trying to limit access to information rarely ends well, so putting a spotlight on the issue with an FAA ban seems really unwise.”
- Chad Wolf, former Acting DHS Secretary, tweeted: “The insanity continues. The FAA must clearly spell out the ‘security’ issue of this TFR to the American people. This looks like a political issue rather than a security issue. I’m guessing the DHS Secretary will receive questions next week during Congressional testimony.”
- Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) tweeted: “Rather than secure the border, the Biden Admin wants to censor Fox News for covering his abject failure.”
- Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) tweeted: “Now the Biden-Harris Administration is illegally blocking the media from covering their border crisis.”
- Adam Laxalt, U.S. Senate candidate in Nevada, tweeted: “The #BorderCrisis has gotten so out of hand that the Biden Administration has resorted to censoring the press in an effort to keep the truth from the American people. On the heels of Afghanistan, @JoeBiden has once again shown that he can’t keep our allies safe, nor our borders.”
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Tom Cotton represented Tennessee. He represents Arkansas.