FAA Abruptly Lifts El Paso Flight Ban After Defense Dept Neutralizes Mexican Cartel Drones

WASHINGTON — In a stunning reversal that left travelers scrambling and lawmakers demanding answers, the Federal Aviation Administration abruptly lifted a 10-day flight ban at El Paso International Airport just hours after imposing it, revealing that Mexican drug cartel drones had breached U.S. airspace before being neutralized by the Defense Department.

The FAA initially announced Wednesday morning that all flights to and from the West Texas airport would be grounded until February 20, citing unspecified "special security reasons." The closure — which would have affected commercial, cargo, and general aviation — sparked immediate chaos at the airport serving a metropolitan area of nearly 700,000 people.

But in a dramatic about-face, the FAA rescinded the order within hours. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on X that federal authorities had "acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion" and that "the threat has been neutralized."

A Security Crisis Unfolds

The incident marks a rare and dramatic intervention in U.S. civilian airspace. While the FAA regularly halts flights for weather, traffic, or rocket launches, a security-related closure of this magnitude is virtually unprecedented — as is the sudden reversal.

According to a Trump administration official, the Department of Defense disabled an unspecified number of Mexican cartel drones that had penetrated U.S. airspace near the border. The official did not reveal how many drones were involved, how they were neutralized, or what payload they may have been carrying.

"There is no threat to commercial aviation," the FAA confirmed in a statement posted to X. "All flights will resume as normal."

The Border Drone Threat

The incident highlights an escalating security challenge along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to testimony before Congress last year, federal authorities detected more than 27,000 drones within 500 meters of the southern border during just the last six months of 2024 — most flying at night.

Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the counter-drone program at the Department of Homeland Security, told lawmakers in July that Mexican drug cartels use drones "nearly every day" to smuggle narcotics across the border and conduct surveillance on Border Patrol operations.

Homeland Security agents have seized thousands of pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other drugs in recent years that cartels attempted to transport via drone, officials say. The small unmanned aircraft have become a favored tool for traffickers because they can evade traditional ground-based detection systems and deliver payloads with precision.

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Local Fallout and Political Reaction

The brief but chaotic closure left travelers stranded and local officials fuming. El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson called the temporary grounding a "major and unnecessary disruption" and demanded better communication from federal authorities.

Local news broadcasts showed frustrated travelers lining up at airline ticket counters and car rental desks after flights were grounded. The airport, which sits adjacent to Biggs Army Airfield and just 12 miles from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, serves as a critical hub for cross-border commerce.

The closure did not extend to Mexican airspace, leaving Ciudad Juárez's 1.5 million residents — many of whom regularly use facilities on both sides of the border — unaffected.

Some lawmakers were quick to criticize the Trump administration's handling of the incident. Representative Rick Larsen of Washington and Representative André Carson of Indiana, ranking members of the House transportation and aviation committees, called the sudden order "unacceptable" in a joint statement.

"While we're not happy with the disruption, we commend the FAA for taking swift action to protect travelers and ensure the safety of U.S. airspace," they added.

Unanswered Questions

Key details about the drone incursion remain shrouded in secrecy. Neither the FAA nor the Defense Department has disclosed:

• The number of drones involved in the incursion
• What specific methods were used to neutralize them
• Whether the drones were armed or carrying contraband
• How deeply they penetrated U.S. airspace
• Which cartel was operating them

The lack of transparency has fueled speculation and concern among aviation security experts, who note that a 10-day closure — the duration originally announced — suggests authorities initially expected a prolonged threat.

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Looking Forward

The incident raises broader questions about the vulnerability of U.S. border airspace to drone incursions and whether current detection and neutralization capabilities are adequate. As cartels increasingly rely on unmanned aircraft for smuggling and surveillance, federal agencies may face growing pressure to deploy more advanced counter-drone systems along the southern border.

For the thousands of travelers who pass through El Paso International Airport daily, Wednesday's chaos served as a stark reminder of the ongoing security challenges at America's borders — and how quickly routine travel can be upended by threats from abroad.

As one stranded traveler told local reporters while waiting for flight operations to resume: "You never think about cartel drones when you're booking a flight to Texas. But maybe we should start."

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