Mexican drug cartel drones breach US airspace, El Paso airport temporarily closed
The Trump administration official said that the Defense Department took action to disable the drones. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.
US officials on Wednesday stated that the Mexican drug cartel drones breached US airspace and they were disabled. The development comes after Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted flight operations at El Paso airport for 10 days, citing security-related concerns, which was later lifted.
There was no immediate threat to the El Paso community
"There was no immediate threat to the El Paso community after federal aviation authorities suddenly closed airspace over the major US city,” Congresswoman Veronica Escobar said.
"From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas," wrote Escobar, who represents the Texas city on the US-Mexico border, on X.
The Trump administration official said that the Defense Department took action to disable the drones. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department have determined there is no threat to commercial travel, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a national security issue. The official did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.
Here’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on X that the FAA and the Defense Department "acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region." He said normal flights were resuming Wednesday morning, but did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.
Airport shutdown expected to create disruptions
The shutdown "for special security reasons" had been expected to create significant disruptions given the duration and the size of the metropolitan area. Texas Gov Greg Abbott's office referred questions to the FAA.
Steven Willoughby, the deputy director of the counter-drone program at the Department of Homeland Security, told lawmakers in July that nearly every day cartels are using drones to try to bring drugs across the US-Mexico border and surveil Border Patrol agents.
More than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 metres (1,600 feet) of the southern border in the last six months of 2024, he testified, most flying late at night. Homeland Security has said agents have seized thousands of pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other drugs in recent years that cartels were trying to fly across the border using drones.