A brief but sweeping shutdown of airspace over El Paso, Texas, this week was triggered by a Pentagon effort to test a laser system designed to disable drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to three individuals familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.
The temporary closure, initially announced as lasting 10 days but lifted after only a few hours, exposed tension between the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration. Two of the sources said the FAA sought to ensure that any military testing would not jeopardize commercial aviation, leading to interagency coordination efforts.
Although a formal meeting between the agencies had already been scheduled for later this month to address the issue, the Pentagon moved forward with the laser test. As a result, the FAA imposed a temporary halt to air traffic over the border city. One source confirmed that the laser system was deployed at some point during the closure.
Earlier, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the airspace restriction followed joint action by the Defense Department and the FAA to counter an incursion by cartel-operated drones, adding that the threat had been eliminated. Unauthorized drone activity along the U.S.-Mexico border is a recurring issue.
The restrictions affected El Paso, a city of nearly 700,000 residents, for only a few hours. Even so, a complete airport shutdown, however brief, is uncommon. During the disruption, passengers queued at airline counters and rental car desks before normal operations resumed.
By the following morning, flights had returned to schedule after seven arrivals and seven departures were canceled. Several medical evacuation flights were also redirected during the interruption.
Among those affected were 20-year-old Jorge Rueda and 21-year-old Yamilexi Meza of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Their morning departure to Portland, Oregon, was canceled, cutting into their planned Valentine’s Day weekend trip. Rueda later said he was relieved that what was first described as a 10-day restriction lasted only two hours. The couple secured seats on an evening flight from El Paso.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation into last year’s fatal midair collision near Washington, D.C., involving a commercial jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people, found that the FAA and the Army had not consistently shared safety data regarding repeated near misses near Reagan National Airport, nor had they adequately mitigated the risks.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat and former Army helicopter pilot who serves on aviation and armed services committees, described the El Paso closure as another example of insufficient coordination within the Trump administration.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat representing El Paso, said neither her office nor local officials received advance notice of the shutdown. After it was lifted, she said federal explanations did not align with the abrupt nature of the action. Escobar called for a clearer account from the FAA, questioning why the restriction was imposed and removed so quickly.
Drone incursions tied to criminal organizations are a routine concern along the southern border. Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district spans roughly 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) of the Texas-Mexico border, said sightings of cartel drones are commonplace for residents and law enforcement in the region.
In July, Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security’s counter-drone program, told Congress that cartels use drones almost daily to move narcotics across the border and monitor Border Patrol activity. He reported that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters (1,600 feet) of the southern border during the final six months of 2024, most of them operating at night.
El Paso Flights
What stands out, according to Rich Davis, a former chief security officer at United Airlines and now a senior security adviser with International SOS, is not the drone activity itself but the decision to close an entire airport. Typically, authorities attempt to isolate threats to a specific aircraft or airline rather than suspend all operations.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had no information confirming drone activity at the border and indicated that if U.S. officials possessed additional intelligence, they should communicate it to Mexico’s government.
She noted that Mexico’s defense and navy secretaries were scheduled to meet with officials from U.S. Northern Command in Washington on Wednesday, alongside representatives from other countries. Mexican officials would listen to the U.S. briefing and examine the precise reasons behind the closure, she said.
El Paso serves as a central hub for cross-border commerce with Ciudad Juárez, a Mexican city of roughly 1.5 million residents. Many Juárez residents rely on U.S.-side infrastructure, including El Paso’s airport.
The proximity to the United States has also made Juárez and other border cities strategically important to drug cartels seeking to protect smuggling routes for narcotics and migrants traveling north, as well as cash and firearms moving south.
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said he was informed of the shutdown only after the public alert was issued. He warned that major operational decisions made without prior coordination risk confusion and potential safety concerns.
Johnson described the incident as a significant and unnecessary disruption, noting that the airport had not experienced a comparable closure since the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
The airport markets itself as a primary gateway to west Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Major carriers operating there include Southwest, United, American and Delta.
Meanwhile, a separate 10-day temporary flight restriction for security purposes remained in effect around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of El Paso International Airport. FAA officials did not immediately clarify why that restriction continued.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico said he was seeking explanations from the FAA and the Trump administration regarding why the airspace was closed without advance notice to appropriate officials, leaving travelers to manage what he characterized as avoidable confusion.
The sudden restriction disrupted travel plans on both sides of the border. María Aracelia, who was crossing the pedestrian bridge from Ciudad Juárez into El Paso with two rolling suitcases Wednesday morning, had an afternoon round-trip flight scheduled to Illinois.
After receiving a 4 a.m. message about the initial 10-day closure, she began searching for alternatives, including the possibility of traveling to another airport. A later notification informed her that El Paso’s airport had reopened.
She described the situation as stressful, particularly for travelers who must return promptly for work and cannot easily adjust their plans on short notice.
