Mexican Surveillance Drone Crashes in Texas

A mysterious unmanned aerial drone that is owned by the Mexican government crashed into an El Paso, Texas, resident's backyard this week, raising questions about why the surveillance craft had entered U.S. airspace.

Local Border Patrol agents recovered the UAV and returned it to the Mexican government. Officials wouldn't speculate on the UAV's mission, but the National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the incident. 

According to ABC News: 

The device, identified as a "mini orbiter UAV," is a wing-shaped aircraft that can fly stealthly at altitudes up to 18,000 feet and remain in the air three to four hours. The drones can typically be operated by a single individual.

"I don't think there's any cause of concern at all for national security," said Vincent Perez, spokesman for Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, former chief of the U.S. Border Patrol-El Paso sector and chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence. "These are the types of things that happen when you live in a border community. ... This just shows that Mexico is trying to get tough with new technology."