The truth behind the sudden closure of the El Paso airport emerged Tuesday night. The emergency occurred after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (ICE) officials failed to give the Federal Aviation Administration enough time to assess potential risks to commercial flights when using a counter-drone laser system borrowed from the Department of Defense, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
After the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration quickly announced that it would close the airspace near El Paso for 10 days. This extreme measure was later lifted on Wednesday morning under direct instruction from the White House. Top government officials quickly claimed that the airspace closure was in response to a sudden intrusion by Mexican drug cartel drones, with Transport Minister Sean Duffy declaring in a social media post that "the threat has been eliminated."
However, many people familiar with the matter have overturned this statement. The real reason the FAA took the extreme step was that Customs and Border Protection officials used a Pentagon-provided anti-drone laser system earlier this week without coordinating with the aviation agency, these anonymous sources said. Border Protection officers thought they were shooting at a drug cartel drone, but ultimately discovered the target was a party balloon, according to people familiar with the matter. One of the sources said Defense Department officials were present at the time of the incident.
The incident highlighted poor coordination between different government departments. The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense had originally planned to hold a meeting in late February to discuss the use and safety of the weapon system in public airspace, but Border Protection apparently chose to act first and ask for instructions later. Critics say giving poorly trained personnel access to high-power laser weapons could pose a serious threat to air traffic safety. Critics argue that if operators can't tell the difference between a drone and a party balloon, it would be wise to require them to ensure there are no aircraft nearby when using laser weapons.