Flights in and out of El Paso International Airport were abruptly grounded this week after the Federal Aviation Administration issued an unusual temporary flight restriction for “special security reasons,” only to lift it within hours after confusion and federal finger-pointing. The episode exposed deep coordination problems between the FAA and the Pentagon, leaving travelers and local leaders demanding answers.
The closure began late Tuesday, with the FAA announcing a 10-day no-fly zone up to 18,000 feet above El Paso. Within hours, normal operations resumed. Officials gave conflicting explanations for the change. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the shutdown was in response to an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, but later reporting raised questions about the real cause.
“The threat has been neutralized,” Duffy wrote on social media, adding there was “no danger to commercial travel in the region.”
Sources familiar with the matter told the reporters that the Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to deploy an anti-drone laser system near Fort Bliss without first coordinating with the FAA. The laser was part of plans to counter aerial threats along the border, but its unexpected use contributed to the aviation agency’s decision to halt flights.
Reports from multiple outlets noted the laser system was aimed at what operators thought was a hostile drone, but turned out to be a mylar party balloon.
El Paso’s mayor, Renard Johnson, criticized the federal response, saying he learned of the closure only after it was announced. “Decisions made without notice and coordination put lives at risk and create unnecessary danger and confusion,” Johnson said. “This was a major and unnecessary disruption, one that has not occurred since 9/11.”
Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), whose district includes El Paso, echoed the concern. “The information coming from the federal government does not add up,” she said after the restriction was lifted.
Escobar and local officials were not notified ahead of the original airspace closure, a breakdown that fueled frustration in a community used to navigating border security issues.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also weighed in, noting her government had “no information about the use of drones on the border,” challenging claims that cartel aircraft were involved.
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