‘Cartel Drones’ or ‘Party Balloons?’: Questions Swirl Around FAA Decision To Briefly Shut Down El Paso Airspace

The Trump Administration says that an “incursion” by Mexican cartel drones prompted the brief shutdown of airspace around El Paso. But new reporting suggests that the call to ground flights was made following a feud between the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon over safety concerns surrounding anti-drone technology after the military shot down a party balloon it mistook for a drone. Late Tuesday evening, the FAA shut down the airspace around El Paso through February 20, classifying it as a “National Defense Airspace,” and warning that the government could use deadly force against pilots who did not comply. The unprecedented decision grounded all flights, including medevac flights and police helicopters, and sparked speculation about the reason for the drastic call.Hours later, the FAA lifted the ban, saying that there is “no threat to commercial aviation.” The Transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, posted on X that the airspace was closed due to a “cartel drone incursion” and that the “threat has been neutralized.”There are now questions being raised about whether there were any drones in the area when the airspace was closed, however. Reuters reported that the closure was due to a “disagreement” over whether the Pentagon should be able to test a high-energy laser used to shoot down drones. Meanwhile, CBS News reported that “earlier this week,” anti-drone technology was used to shoot down “what appeared to be foreign drones” near the southern border. However, sources told the network that at least one of the alleged drones “turned out to be a party balloon” and was shot down.Sources told CBS that there have been Mexican cartel drones near the border recently and that at least one had been disabled by the military’s anti-unmanned aircraft systems. The Pentagon and the Department of Transportation had been coordinating the planning of anti-drone tests for months, and the FAA was told that there was no risk to commercial flights, CBS News reported. However, there was reportedly an “impasse” as the FAA had safety concerns about the anti-drone technology and the Pentagon had been conducting anti-drone operations “without sharing information.”Amid the impasse over the testing of the drone technology, the FAA administrator, Bryan Bedford, reportedly decided to shut down the airspace without notifying the White House, the Pentagon, or local officials in El Paso.There are lingering concerns about the safety of civilian airlines operating in the same airspace as military aircraft since the midair collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter in January 2025. The sudden decision to lift the ban on flights came after a meeting with the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, on Wednesday morning. A Democratic Congressman from Texas, Joaquin Castro, wrote on X that the “rash decision” to shut down the airspace “will erode trust in public safety.”“The President should immediately give Congress and the American people a rational explanation for such an extreme and unprecedented move,” he said. In response to the Sun’s request for comment, the Pentagon reiterated its previous statement that “Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace” and the “Department of War took action to disable the drones.”The FAA and the White House did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

‘Cartel Drones’ or ‘Party Balloons?’: Questions Swirl Around FAA Decision To Briefly Shut Down El Paso Airspace

‘Cartel Drones’ or ‘Party Balloons?’: Questions Swirl Around FAA Decision To Briefly Shut Down El Paso Airspace

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