El PASO – A dispute over testing of a new anti-drone laser led the FAA to ground flights in the El Paso area for several hours.
NPR and other major news organizations reported the Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use the experimental weapon to shoot down an object.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a social media post said FAA and the Defense Department "acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion." But multiple news organizations reported the object likely was a mylar party balloon.
"To be clear this was the result of incompetence at the highest level of this administration," said U.S. Rep Veronica Escobar, a Democrat representing El Paso.
She questions the abrupt shutdown of airspace without notifying her office or local authorities.
El Paso is home to several federal agencies and close coordination has been common especially in responding to emergencies. "Next for me and my team is ensuring our community gets all the answers we deserve and that no other community has deal with what we had to endure," said Escobar.
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said the city was caught off guard. "You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, the hospitals, the community leadership," Johnson said.
"That failure to communicate is unacceptable."
The mayor said emergency medical flights were diverted to other airports during the seven-hour airspace restriction. Both commercial and cargo flights were grounded in the region that is a trade and transportation hub.
"This was a major and unnecessary disruption," Mayor Johnson said. "One that has not occurred since 911."
Multiple news organizations reported a dispute between federal agencies led to the airspace restrictions. The FAA was concerned the anti-drone laser used by CBP could pose a threat to passenger planes and wanted to coordinate testing. When that didn't happen, airspace was abruptly closed.
The original 10-day restriction on air space ordered reportedly coincided with a meeting the agencies scheduled February 20th to discuss the experimental weapon.
Drones used by smuggling organizations are common along the border and used for surveillance. The incursions are brief and usually detected and have not led to closing the airspace and grounding flights.
This region has long been a testing and training ground for the military both at Fort Bliss and in neighboring New Mexico at White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base.
U.S. Rep Gabe Vasquez a Democrat representing southern New Mexico, in a social media video post for constituents criticized the Trump administration for a "lack of transparency" in shutting down airspace in the region that includes the El Paso International Airport, a hub for many New Mexico residents.
"There are standard rules and procedures for how our airspace is controlled, including when the Department of Defense (DOD) is conducting any testing in our region," Vasquez said in a statement his office issued following the grounding of flights.
"These procedures keep Americans safe and prevent disruption to civil airspace," Vasquez said.
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