For several tense hours overnight, airspace over El Paso and a wide swath of southern New Mexico went dark. The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly shut it down, with initial notices suggesting flights could be grounded for up to 10 days. By Wednesday morning, it was all over. The airspace was reopened. Flights resumed. And the explanations? They only deepened the mystery.
“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal,” the FAA announced on X.
But what actually triggered the shutdown depends on who you ask.
An industry official briefed by the FAA claimed the disruption stemmed from a brewing conflict between the agency and the Department of Defense. According to that source, unmanned military aircraft had been operating near El Paso’s airport as part of anti-cartel operations — without properly coordinating with the FAA.
“It has to do with the FAA’s inability to predict where [unmanned aircraft systems] might be flying,” the official said. “They have been operating outside the normal flight paths.”
That explanation paints a picture of bureaucratic breakdown — military drones flying missions near commercial air corridors without full transparency, forcing the FAA to act.
But the White House offered a dramatically different account.
Under the NOTAM issued this morning covering El Paso, “THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT.” https://t.co/mXPVTstmIn
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 11, 2026
A Trump administration official said the closure was triggered by Mexican cartel drones breaching U.S. airspace. According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the Department of War moved swiftly to neutralize the threat.
“The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion,” Duffy posted. “The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.”
Two explanations. Two very different narratives. One major question: which one is accurate?
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, publicly cast doubt on the administration’s version of events. Speaking at a press conference Wednesday morning, she said the cartel-drone explanation did not match what she had been told.
“The statement by the administration that this shutdown was linked to a Mexican cartel drone that came into US airspace — that is not my understanding,” Escobar said.
She revealed she had not been notified by the FAA before the shutdown, nor had local officials or El Paso International Airport leadership. Instead, she learned of the closure late Tuesday night from a federal workforce contact. Escobar emphasized that drone incursions are not new in the region and have occurred for years.
“The information coming from the administration does not add up,” she said.
The initial FAA notices had effectively grounded all flights in and out of El Paso International Airport and restricted a broad region of southern New Mexico west of Santa Teresa. For the nation’s 23rd-largest city, a 10-day shutdown would have been massively disruptive.
BREAKING: The FAA has abruptly CLOSED the airspace around El Paso for TEN DAYS for “special security reasons”
ALL flights are grounded, including commercial, cargo, general aviation, and there’s no exemption for medevac.
The airport and pilots were given little to no notice,… pic.twitter.com/RFtTsVHMss
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 11, 2026
BREAKING: The FAA has abruptly CLOSED the airspace around El Paso for TEN DAYS for “special security reasons”Yet by Wednesday morning, restrictions were gone. Escobar said there was no direct threat to El Paso, which may explain the swift reversal.
Southwest Airlines confirmed it resumed operations once the FAA lifted the restrictions and advised customers to verify flight status before traveling.
The episode leaves behind more questions than answers. Was it a military coordination failure? A cartel drone incursion? Or something in between?
JUST IN: The move to shut down El Paso airspace for 10 days was triggered by Mexican cartel drones breaching US airspace, according to CBS News.
“War Dept took action to disable the drones,” reported @JenniferJJacobs.
The Federal Aviation Administration has since lifted the… pic.twitter.com/0YZfqriEQ7
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 11, 2026
The move to shut down El Paso airspace for 10 days was triggered by Mexican cartel drones breaching US airspace, according to CBS News.
“The War Dept took action to disable the drones,” reported @JenniferJJacobs.
The Federal Aviation Administration has since lifted the temporary closure of airspace.
