The U.S. military accidentally shot down a friendly Customs and Border Protection drone near the southern border Thursday evening, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to close the airspace near El Paso, Texas, for the second time in over two weeks.
The military used a high-energy laser weapon to target the drone, according to federal lawmakers.
“Our heads are exploding over the news that DoD reportedly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a high risk counter-unmanned aircraft system,” the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee posted on X.
“We said months ago that the White House’s decision to sidestep a bipartisan, tri-committee bill to appropriately train C-UAS operators and address the lack of coordination between the Pentagon, DHS, and the FAA was a short-sighted idea,” they said. “Now, we’re seeing the result of its incompetence.”
The statement was made by Reps. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Andre Carson (D-IN), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS). Each lawmaker leads a relevant committee that has authority over the matter.
There appeared to be miscommunication between the War Department and CBP, leading to the neutralized drone.
Following the latest incident, the airspace over Fort Hancock was closed. However, commercial flights departing or arriving at the El Paso airport were not affected by the airspace closure this time around.
The FAA said it had expanded the airspace closure around Fort Hancock late Thursday.
PENTAGON ALLOWED CBP TO USE ANTI-DRONE LASER BEFORE FAA CLOSED EL PASO AIRSPACE
An anti-drone laser was deployed earlier this month near Fort Bliss to address an alleged drone incursion committed by Mexican drug cartels. The groups often use unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance, drug smuggling, or violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the prior incident, CBP reportedly used the anti-drone laser provided by the military to shoot objects that were later identified as party balloons. It still remains unclear whether the agency shot down a drug cartel drone, as claimed by the Trump administration.
