The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, stems from the Pentagon’s plan to test a laser designed to shoot down drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
That has caused friction with the Federal Aviation Administration, which wants to ensure commercial aviation is safe, and the two agencies have sought coordination, two people familiar with the matter said.
The Pentagon wanted to continue testing despite a planned meeting later this month to discuss the issue, prompting the FAA to close the airspace. It’s unclear whether the laser was ultimately deployed.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy earlier said airspace had been closed in response to a Mexican cartel drone incursion and the threat had been neutralized. Drone incursions along the southern border are not uncommon.
Federal officials abruptly shut down the skies over El Paso, Texas, for several hours early Wednesday over what the Trump administration said was drone activity by a Mexican cartel, temporarily grounding flights and angering local officials who said they had received no advance warning.
The Federal Aviation Administration initially announced a 10-day closure of the airspace, confusing travelers at the airport in El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000. The order was rescinded hours later. Mexican airspace was not closed.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on He did not reveal how many drones were involved or what specific steps were taken to disable them.
Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, said her office, the city of El Paso and airport operations received no advance notice. She said she did not believe the shutdown was due to Mexican cartel drones flying in U.S. airspace, saying “that’s not what we in Congress have been told.”
Pentagon officials declined to comment on Escobar’s remarks, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office referred questions to the FAA.
“I think the FAA owes the community and the state an explanation as to why this happened so suddenly and suddenly and was canceled so abruptly,” Escobar said at a news conference. “Given the duration and size of the metropolitan area surrounding El Paso, the lockdown is expected to cause significant disruption.”
“The information coming out of the federal government doesn’t add up,” Escobar said.
Cross-border drone activity is not new
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district covers an area stretching about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) of Texas’ border with Mexico, said cartel drone sightings are common.
“For any of us who live and work along the border, daily drone incursions by criminal organizations are part of our daily lives. For us, this is Wednesday,” Gonzalez said.
Asked about U.S. officials’ explanation for the drones, Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum said she had “no information about the use of drones at the border.” She noted that if U.S. authorities have more information, they should contact the Mexican government.
Drug cartels use drones almost daily to transport drugs across the border and spy on Border Patrol agents, Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security’s counterdrone program, told lawmakers in July.
He testified that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters (1,600 feet) of the southern border in the last six months of 2024, mostly at night. In recent years, agents have seized thousands of pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other drugs that cartels have attempted to use drones to fly across the border, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Mexican officials travel to Washington
El Paso, along with Ciudad Juárez, is a center for cross-border trade. Some residents of the Mexican city of about 1.5 million are accustomed to taking advantage of facilities such as airports on both sides of the border. Like other border cities, Juarez’s ease of access to the United States also makes Juarez attractive to Mexican drug cartels, which seek to protect their smuggling routes that keep drugs and immigrants flowing north and cash and guns south.
El Paso International Airport said in an Instagram post after announcing the closure that all flights in and out of the airport will be grounded until February 20, including commercial, cargo and general aviation flights. Local news broadcasts showed stranded travelers lining up with luggage at ticket and car rental counters at the El Paso airport hours after flights were grounded.
Late Wednesday morning, the airport posted a message that operations had resumed and encouraged travelers to contact airlines for the latest flight information.
Scheinbaum told a news conference that Mexico’s defense and navy secretaries would meet with Northern Command officials in Washington on Wednesday, with representatives from several other countries also in attendance. Scheinbaum said Mexican officials will be “listening” in the meeting and her government will investigate the “exact reasons” for the shutdown.
“This is a significant and unnecessary disruption”
El Paso Mayor Leonard Johnson said at a news conference that he had not heard about the closures until after the alert was issued, calling the failure to communicate the news to the city unacceptable.
“Decisions made without notification and coordination put lives at risk and create unnecessary danger and chaos,” Johnson said. “This is a significant and unnecessary disruption the likes of which has not happened since 9/11.”
The airport bills itself as the gateway to western Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, among others, all operate flights there.
Similar temporary 10-day flight restrictions remained in effect Wednesday morning around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of the El Paso airport, for special security reasons. FAA officials did not immediately explain why the restriction was in place.
“It’s critical that our communities stay informed and safe,” Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., said in a statement. “I demand answers from the FAA and the administration as to why the airspace was closed in the first place without notifying appropriate officials, exposing travelers to unnecessary confusion.”
Shutdowns and reopenings cause chaos for travelers
The airspace closure disrupted travel plans on both sides of the border.
María Aracelia pushed two rolling suitcases across a pedestrian bridge from Ciudad Juárez to El Paso on Wednesday morning. She was scheduled to catch a round-trip flight to Illinois in the afternoon.
After receiving a text message at 4 a.m. telling her of the 10-day closure, she scrambled to find other options, even how to get to another airport. Then came the announcement that the El Paso airport had reopened.
“It’s stressful and there’s not time to make so many changes, especially if you need to go back to work,” Aracelia said.
