FAA Limits Drones Over DHS Assets, Igniting Civil Liberties Concerns

News media coalition calls restriction the ‘most sweeping prohibition’ on UAS activity in U.S. history.

Jack Daleo

Friday, January 30, 2026 at 03:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Temporary flight restriction (TFR) prohibits drones from flying within 1,000 feet vertically and 3,000 feet laterally of Department of Homeland Security ‘mobile assets.’ [Credit: iStock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has implemented a "sweeping" and ambiguous Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) prohibiting drone operation near Department of Homeland Security (DHS) "mobile assets" across the United States.
News organizations, civil liberties groups like the ACLU, and former FAA officials are raising alarms, calling the TFR unconstitutional and practically impossible for drone operators to comply with.
The restrictions create "roving, invisible" no-fly zones, threatening newsgathering, commercial drone operations, and potentially suppressing coverage of DHS activities like ICE raids.
Observers believe the TFR's legality will likely face challenges, especially if it is perceived as selectively enforced or overly restrictive on First Amendment rights.

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News organizations, advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and even former FAA officials are sounding the alarm on what could be the “most sweeping prohibition on UAS [uncrewed aircraft system] activity across the United States ever imposed.”

That is how the News Media Coalition—which includes the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Getty Images, National Press Photographers Association, and publishers of major newspapers such as the New York Times and Washington Post—described an FAA temporary flight restriction (TFR) that penalizes the operation of drones, including those used for newsgathering, near Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “mobile assets.”