Texas: The Pentagon allowed the use of an anti-drone laser by U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this week, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The FAA initially announced a 10-day shutdown of all flight traffic over the border city, leaving travellers stranded, before the closure was unexpectedly lifted after only a few hours. The Trump administration said the action was taken as the FAA and Pentagon moved to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones – a frequent occurrence along the southern border.

One source said the laser was deployed near Fort Bliss without prior coordination with the FAA, which then ordered the airspace closed to ensure the safety of commercial flights. Others said the technology was used despite a planned meeting later this month between the Pentagon and the FAA to discuss drone threats.

Although the restrictions were brief, the shutdown was unusual. El Paso, a city of nearly 700,000, saw stranded passengers queuing at airline counters and car rental desks as the order took effect.

Normal operations resumed after seven arrivals and seven departures were cancelled, with some medical evacuation flights rerouted.

Two passengers from Las Cruces, New Mexico, who had been due to fly to Portland, Oregon, said they were relieved the closure lasted only hours. Jorge Rueda, 20, said he was “glad that 10 days turned into two hours”.

The incident comes amid scrutiny of FAA-Pentagon coordination following last year’s mid-air collision near Washington DC between an airliner and an Army helicopter, which killed 67 people. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that safety data was not shared effectively between the agencies and risks were not adequately addressed.

Critics of the Trump administration seized on Wednesday’s events. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a former Army helicopter pilot, described the episode as another example of “the lack of coordination that’s endemic in this Trump administration”.

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Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz said he would request a briefing from the FAA. Local Democrat Representative Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, said neither her office nor local officials were warned in advance of the closure, and demanded answers after it was lifted.

“I believe the FAA owes the community and the country an explanation,” she said, describing the government’s account as inconsistent.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said the airspace was closed while the FAA and the Department of Defence worked to stop a drone incursion, and that the “threat has been neutralised”.

A Trump administration official insisted the agencies were acting in concert and pointed to Duffy’s statement. The Pentagon declined to add further comment.

Republican Representative Tony Gonzales, whose district stretches along 800 miles of the Texas-Mexico border, said drone sightings by criminal groups were commonplace.

“For any of us who live and work along the border, daily drone incursions by criminal organisations is everyday life for us,” he said. “It’s a Wednesday for us.”

A Department of Homeland Security official told Congress in July that cartels use drones almost daily to transport drugs and surveil Border Patrol agents. More than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 metres of the southern border in the last six months of 2024, mostly at night.

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Experts say it is rare for an entire airport to close over a security threat. Rich Davis, former chief security officer at United Airlines, said officials usually isolate the risk to a specific aircraft or airline rather than shut down a whole airport.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had “no information about the use of drones on the border” and urged U.S. authorities to share details. Mexican defence and navy officials were due to meet U.S. Northern Command in Washington on Wednesday.

El Paso

El Paso is a major hub for cross-border trade with Ciudad Juárez, a Mexican city of around 1.5 million people. The close access has also made the area attractive to drug cartels seeking to protect smuggling routes.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said he learned of the closure only after it was announced. “Decisions made without notice and coordination puts lives at risk and creates unnecessary danger and confusion,” he said, adding the disruption was unprecedented since 9/11.

The FAA said a separate 10-day temporary flight restriction remained in place around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, about 24km north-west of El Paso airport, but did not explain why.

New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Luján said he was seeking answers about the sudden closure and lack of warning for travellers.

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Travel disruption also affected people crossing from Mexico. María Aracelia, a passenger from Ciudad Juárez, said she received a text at 4am warning of the closure and scrambled to find alternative travel plans, only to be told the airport had reopened.

“This is stressful, and there isn’t time to make so many changes,” she said.

(AP)