Topline
In an unexpected incident on Thursday, the U.S. military mistakenly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a laser weapon. This led the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily close airspace in a Texas region close to the Mexican border. This marks the second such airspace closure in the state this month, both incidents triggered by the use of laser weaponry.
Reuters initially broke the news, citing Congressional aides. This report was subsequently confirmed by Democratic representatives on House subcommittees responsible for transportation and Homeland Security oversight.
Representatives Rick Larsen from Washington, Bennie Thompson from Mississippi, and Andre Carson from Indiana issued a statement expressing their frustration: “We are astounded by the report that the Department of Defense shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone with a high-risk counter-unmanned aircraft system.”
These congressmen, who hold key positions on committees overseeing transportation and Homeland Security, criticized the White House for bypassing a “bipartisan, tri-committee bill” intended to ensure proper training for operators of anti-drone weapons. They also highlighted the administration’s failure to resolve coordination issues among the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FAA.
In response to the incident, the FAA has issued a notice to close airspace over a border area in West Texas, near Fort Hancock. This closure is expected to last for almost four months.
A preliminary internal report, referenced by the New York Times, suggests that CBP did not inform the Defense Department about the drone’s presence, leading to its mistaken identity as an unidentified drone by military forces.
According to a preliminary internal report cited by the New York Times, CBP purportedly failed to notify the Defense Department about the drone flight in the area and the military shot it down believing it to be an unknown drone.
What Do We Know About The Faa’s Notice?
According to the FAA’s notice to airmen (NOTAM), the airspace shutdown will remain in effect till June 24, and the reason mentioned is “Temporary flight restrictions for Special Security Reasons.” The NOTAM says “no pilots may operate an aircraft” over the restricted airspace and asks special medevac/air ambulance flights or search and rescue flights to contact its Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center. It is unclear if this airspace shutdown will impact commercial flight schedules in the region.
What Have Federal Agencies Said About The Shootdown?
In a joint statement shared with multiple outlets the Pentagon, CBP and FAA said: “This reported engagement occurred when the Department of War employed counter-unmanned aircraft system authorities to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace. The engagement took place far away from populated areas and there were no commercial aircraft in the vicinity.” The agencies said the were working together “in an unprecedented fashion” on President Donald Trump’s orders to “mitigate drone threats by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations at the U.S.-Mexico Border.”
Chief Critic
In a statement on X, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., the senior most Democrat on the Senate’s aviation subcommittee, wrote: “It’s this kind of failure to communicate between DoD and FAA that led to the tragic loss of life above DCA. It’s also deeply troubling to once again learn about this chaos in the news—rather than through official channels. This situation is alarming and demands a thorough, independent investigation. I’ll be calling on the IGs of DoD, DOT and DHS to launch a joint investigation immediately.”
