El Paso airport was supposed to close for 10 days; then it reopened hours later. The reason for the closure was that Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace, according to Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation, and officials from the White House and the Pentagon. But that conflicted with reports that two people briefed by Trump administration officials said the shutdown was prompted by the Defense Department’s use of new counter-drone technology, prompting concerns about the risks it could pose to other aircraft in the area, reports The New York Times.
The closure, which appeared to surprise state and local officials, went into effect at 11:30 p.m. local time on January 10 and was lifted a little before 7 a.m. on Tuesday 11.
Neither the DoT nor the FAA immediately answered requests for clarification of the reason for the closure from SupplyChainBrain.
Read More: Munich Airport Reopens After Drone Scare
Drones have become a significant tool and weapon used by Mexican cartels across Mexico in recent years, according to cartel operatives, security analysts and some government officials on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Some 27,000 drones flew within about 1,650 feet of the border over six months in 2024, piloted by organizations hostile to law enforcement, according to Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the counter-drone program at the Homeland Security Department.
In July 2025, Willoughby testified before Congress and asked lawmakers to continue the program. He did not go into detail on the nature of the anti-drone technology the department was testing.
The FAA recently announced it had stepped up drone enforcement in 2025, having “fined and suspended or revoked the licenses of multiple drone operators in 2025 for unsafe and unauthorized operations, including flights near major sporting events, emergency response activities, and in restricted airspace.”
