The Trump administration claimed drones belonging to Mexican drug cartels had “breached US airspace,” without providing further information. Mexico’s president denied knowledge of any such incident.
The Trump administration said on Wednesday that drones operated by drug cartels in Mexico had breached US airspace, prompting a temporary closure of airspace around El Paso, Texas.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) had announced a 10-day closure of the airspace around El Paso. But hours later, it lifted this temporary closure, saying there was no threat to commercial aviation.
“The FAA and [Department of Defense] acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on social media.
“The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region. The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming.”
Government officials did not clarify how many drones were intercepted or what methods were used to disable them.
News agency Reuters reported that the FAA closed the airspace due to safety concerns about the potential use of a laser-based counterdrone system being tested at the US Army’s Fort Bliss, citing government and airline officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Mexico to investigate El Paso airspace closure
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum did not confirm the US reports.
“There is no information regarding the use of drones at the border,” Sheinbaum told her regular morning press conference on Wednesday.
She added that her government was investigating the temporary shutdown of the key border airport in El Paso.
Mexican cartels have been known to use drones to carry out surveillance and attacks in the border region. More than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters (1,600 feet) of the border in the last half of 2024, according to Steven Willoughby, the deputy director of the counter-drone program at the Department of Homeland Security.
El Paso politicians slam ‘unnecessary disruption’
El Paso, home to 700,000 people, is a hub for commerce and migration along the US-Mexico border. Its airport is the 71st busiest in the US.
The airspace closure caused major disruptions to the region, with commercial flights by Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines among those affected.
“Medical evacuation flights were forced to divert to Las Cruces,” El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said at a Wednesday morning news conference.
“All aviation operations were grounded, including emergency flights. This was a major and unnecessary disruption, one that has not occurred since 9/11.”
Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, called on the FAA to provide further justification as to why airspace was closed so abruptly.
“I believe the FAA owes the community and the country an explanation as to why this happened so suddenly and abruptly and was lifted so suddenly and abruptly,” she said during a morning news conference.
She added that there was “nothing extraordinary about any drone incursion into the US that I’m aware of.”
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
DW News
