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3d ago

FAA Halted El Paso Flights After CBP Fired Counter-Drone Laser That Hit Party Balloons

The episode exposes unresolved rules for deploying high‑energy weapons over populated airspace.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson speaks at City Hall on Feb. 11, 2026, after the Federal Aviation Administration lifted flight restrictions at El Paso International Airport in Texas.
People cross the Paso del Norte International Bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday Feb. 11, 2026, on the border with El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
Cars cross the "Paso del Norte" International Bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday Feb. 11, 2026, on the border with El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)

Overview

  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ended a news conference when pressed to confirm reports of a CBP laser strike and to explain why the FAA was not fully coordinated.
  • Multiple outlets report CBP, recently trained by U.S. military personnel, employed a palletized high‑energy laser near Fort Bliss with military members present.
  • Sources cited by CBS News say at least one object treated as a cartel drone was later identified as a party balloon.
  • The FAA issued a rare 10‑day temporary flight restriction over El Paso that grounded flights below 18,000 feet, then lifted it within hours.
  • Experts and lawmakers are calling for clear authorities, safety protocols, and FAA deconfliction, with an FAA‑Pentagon meeting and congressional briefings slated for the coming days.