US Authorities Detain Chinese Nationals Following Drone Incursions at New Mexico Missile Range

US authorities detained several Chinese nationals in the spring of 2025 after a quadcopter drone was suspected of conducting reconnaissance over the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. A multi agency task force including the Army, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and a Pentagon office that tracks unidentified flying objects monitored the drone for five days before using electronic warfare tools to force it to land in a base parking lot. This incident followed a similar event in the fall of 2024 where a drone led Customs and Border Protection agents on a 35 mile chase into Mexican airspace.

During the 2025 operation, officials monitored two separate groups of Chinese nationals. One group had flown into New York, rented a Mercedes RV, and traveled through Las Vegas to White Sands. A second individual, a Chinese woman, arrived in Texas via a cruise ship and entered White Sands National Park after closing. The FBI informed military and CBP officials that these individuals were believed to have ties to Chinese intelligence. Identifying information linking the woman to the group in the RV was reportedly found inside the vehicle.

The group in the RV was detained by military officials and turned over to federal authorities, while the woman in the park was ticketed and released by the Department of the Interior. The Army and FBI did not respond to requests for comment, and the CBP declined to comment on the specific incident. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy denied knowledge of the event and described the espionage narrative as baseless speculation and sensationalism.