February 11, 2026

Mexican cartel drones in El Paso to blame for airspace closure: War Department

The Federal Aviation Administration briefly shut down El Paso flights after Mexican cartel drones "breached" American airspace on Tuesday. The FAA lifted the flight restrictions Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours later, after initially establishing a 10-day closure due to "special security concerns." 'All flights will resume as normal.'An official from President Donald Trump's administration later clarified the security concern to Blaze News, noting the Department of War's involvement. "Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace," the official told Blaze News. "The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel."RELATED: 'Impossible to deal with': Pete Hegseth reveals the real culprit behind defense contractor delays Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images The FAA reiterated that flights have resumed as normal in a statement posted on X. "The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted," the statement reads. "There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal."RELATED: Exclusive: ICE busts pedophile, abuser, and fentanyl trafficker despite ongoing shutdown Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesLike Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!