A Mexican cartel drone incursion in the border city of El Paso, Texas, forced a temporary shutdown by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday.
While the southern border is seeing record-low illegal crossings since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, cartels still lurk, finding new ways to threaten the United States.
Several cartels operate in Chihuahua, which borders El Paso, and for years, profited off of the open border under the Biden administration, where human smuggling became their largest source of income.
Robert Beltran, a constable in Hudspeth County, which neighbors El Paso, told The Daily Wire that the Mexican cartels are now desperate to find new ways “to move narcotics and contraband” by air since the “land and sea has been blocked off.”
Weeks after Trump’s second inauguration, federal agents received a warning that cartels in Mexico were employing suicide drones.
“On February 1, 2025, the El Paso Sector Intelligence and Operations Center (EPT-IOC) received information advising that Mexican cartel leaders have authorized the deployment of drones equipped with explosives to be used against US Border Patrol agents and US military personnel currently working along the border with Mexico,” the internal memo titled “Officer Safety Alert” said.
“It is recommended that all US Border Patrol agents and DoD [Department of Defense] personnel working along the border report any sighting of drones to their respective leadership staff and the EPT-IOC,” the memo continued.
Last week, in nearby New Mexico, law enforcement officials from both sides of the border came together to discuss ways to counter the cartels’ increasing use of drones, according to Border Report.
“What we are doing here today is making it possible for Chihuahua and New Mexico to be more safe and secure,” Chihuahua Public Safety Secretary Gilberto Loya said at a news conference following the meeting. “To that end, we have started today a structural collaboration to tackle these emerging issues and crimes.”
The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.
The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.
The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming. https://t.co/xQA1cMy7l0
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 11, 2026
In Mexico, cartels have deployed drones in recent years to carry out assassinations.
Cartels sent bomb-dropping drones into the central Mexican state of Michoacán, killing Mexican soldiers operating in the area in 2024.
Last year, a Mexican army officer, a soldier, and a police officer were injured after a cartel drone dropped explosives on them in Chihuahua.
“We’ve had a pair of incidents in which members of organized crime are using drones with explosives to hinder our personnel on the ground,” Chihuahua state police Chief of Staff Luis Aguirre said at the time. “There is a strong presence by the Ministry of Defense and we are making substantial advances.”
The FAA initially instituted a 10-day airspace closure of the El Paso airport on Wednesday, citing “special security reasons.” That closure has since been reversed.
“Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace,” a Trump administration official told The Daily Wire, adding that the Department of War immediately acted “to disable the drones.”
“The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel,” the official said.
About 15 miles from El Paso, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, similar restrictions were put in place.
.png)
.png)
