A Callen-Lenz surveillance drone is displayed in a room at the BAE Systems Warton factory in Warton, Britain, July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
(Washington, DC) – A nationally published report says drones operated by Mexican cartel members led to the temporary closure of airspace near El Paso, Texas. The New York Post says a member of the Trump Administration disclosed that tip, as the TFR or Temporary Flight Restriction had been a mystery.
It was late Tuesday night when the FAA closed the airspace near El Paso International Airport, which was attributed to “special security reasons.” The initial announcement led to outcry and confusion among locals. It was the first such major shutdown of a US airport since 9-11.
“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,” local Democratic congresswoman Veronica Escobar wrote on X. She added, “There was no advance notice provided to my office, the City of El Paso, or anyone involved in airport operations.”
Suddenly, Wednesday morning, the airport was back to normal in El Paso:
The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.
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. https://t.co/xQA1cMy7l0
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 11, 2026
The TFR was expected to remain in place for 10 days — but less than eight hours after it was put into place, it was lifted. Now, the word is that Mexican cartel drones caused the issue in the first place. The New York Post quotes the official as saying: “Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”
No specific details were provided as to the number of drones, what they were carrying, or how they were eventually disabled. Some reports suggest they could have been Mexican military drones that were conducting tests.
