El Paso, Texas — The Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace over El Paso this week due to a planned military test of a high-energy laser, not because of a cartel drone incursion as initially claimed by the Trump administration, according to media reports citing sources familiar with the operation.
The FAA imposed temporary flight restrictions on Tuesday night, originally expected to remain in place until February 20, but reopened the airspace the following morning. The agency’s notice cited “special safety reasons” without providing details.
After the closure was lifted, the New York Times reported that the U.S. Army was conducting tests of anti-drone technology. Sources told the Wall Street Journal that officials were concerned the laser could pose risks to commercial pilots in the area.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post on Wednesday that the airspace was closed so the FAA and Department of Defense could respond to a “cartel drone incursion.” The Pentagon declined to comment beyond Duffy’s statement, and the FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Duffy said the drone threat had been “neutralized” and insisted there was no danger to commercial travel in the region, promising flights would resume.
Local Officials Criticize Lack of Notification
Texas Democratic Representative Verónica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, told reporters her office received no prior notification from the federal government about the restrictions.
“Those of us who live in El Paso probably know there have been drone incursions from Mexico for as long as they’ve existed. So this is nothing new,” Escobar said. She added that the drone “situation” has been a topic of work in the House of Representatives for years and that “there was nothing different or extraordinary about a drone coming from Mexico last night.”
Escobar said she contacted the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, who received “virtually the same information” as she did. “The information coming from the administration doesn’t add up, and it’s not the information I was able to gather overnight and this morning,” she stated in a call with reporters on Wednesday.
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said in a statement, “I want to be very clear: this should never have happened. You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, hospitals, and community leaders. That lack of communication is unacceptable.”
Johnson said emergency flights were suspended during the closure, forcing medical flights to divert to Las Cruces, New Mexico, about 72 kilometers northwest of El Paso.
New Mexico Democratic Representative Ben Ray Luján said he would demand answers from the FAA about “why the airspace was closed in the first place without notifying the appropriate officials.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government would seek answers about the closure, although airspace was not restricted on the Mexican side of the border. “There is no information about the use of drones at the border,” she stated in her daily press conference, according to the Associated Press.
Airport Response
El Paso International Airport posted on Instagram that “all flights originating and destined for El Paso are suspended, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation flights.” The airport said the FAA issued the restriction but provided no further details, urging passengers to contact their airlines for updated itinerary information.
In a statement to local outlet KFOX, the airport said the FAA’s order took effect with little advance notice and that staff were awaiting further guidance while informing commercial airlines operating from El Paso about the restriction.
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