When the Sky Went Dark Over El Paso: The FAA’s Unprecedented Airspace Shutdown
“What we saw today should never, NEVER happen.” — Former DHS official John Cohen
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, something happened over El Paso that hasn’t occurred since the days following September 11, 2001.
Without warning, without coordination, and without so much as a phone call to the city’s mayor or congressional delegation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly shuttered the airspace over one of Texas’s largest cities — initially for ten full days.
The shockwave was immediate.
Flights were canceled. Medical evacuation aircraft were rerouted to Las Cruces, New Mexico, nearly 45 miles away. Passengers showed up at El Paso International Airport to find luggage carousels sitting empty and check-in counters in chaos. Residents, rattled awake by social media alerts, began asking a terrifying question: Do we need to evacuate?
What Happened — And Why the Story Keeps Changing
Just before midnight on Tuesday, the FAA issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) grounding all flights up to 18,000 feet over El Paso and a large swath of southern New Mexico for national security reasons. The notice ominously warned that the U.S. government “may use deadly force against airborne aircraft” deemed a security threat.
The Trump administration’s initial explanation pointed to Mexican drug cartel drones that had breached U.S. airspace, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posting on X that the FAA and Department of War had acted “swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion” and that the “threat has been neutralized.”
The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 11, 2026
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
But multiple sources familiar with the matter told a very different story. According to reporting by CNN, the Associated Press, and NPR, the real trigger was a breakdown in communication between the Pentagon and the FAA. The Department of Defense had been testing a high-energy, counter-drone laser system near El Paso — a technology previously only tested in remote areas — without adequately coordinating with the FAA about its potential risks to civilian aircraft. The two agencies had a meeting scheduled for February 20th to discuss safeguards, but the Pentagon moved to use the weapon before that coordination could take place. Making matters stranger, the military reportedly used the laser to shoot down four mylar party balloons that had been mistaken for hostile drones.
Somewhere in El Paso a 7-year-old is filing a FOIA request for the whereabouts of his Spider-Man balloon. pic.twitter.com/9cmXHCHAvj
— 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖_𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 (@SundaeDivine) February 11, 2026
Less than seven hours after the closure took effect, the FAA reversed course entirely and lifted all restrictions — a whiplash reversal that raised more questions than it answered.
The Real-World Toll on El Paso and Beyond
El Paso is not a small city. With a population approaching 700,000, it is the sixth-largest city in Texas and the 22nd-largest in the United States. It is home to Fort Bliss, one of the nation’s largest military installations, and sits at a critical economic and cultural crossroads on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The closure’s immediate impacts were felt sharply. At least 14 flights were canceled and 13 more delayed before the FAA lifted restrictions, stranding travelers and disrupting commerce. Medical evacuation flights — lifelines for the region’s hospitals — were forced to divert, raising the specter of what could have happened if a critical patient had needed urgent air transport during those hours.
For all Texans, the incident carries broader implications. El Paso’s airport serves not just the city itself, but connecting passengers across the state and the wider Southwest. Business travel, military logistics, supply chains, and tourism all depend on the reliable flow of air traffic through the region. A closure of this scale, even brief, injects uncertainty into an air travel ecosystem that operators and passengers rely on to function without disruption.
What Texas Lawmakers Are Saying
The political fallout was swift — and notably bipartisan in its alarm, if not in its conclusions.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, said he requested a classified briefing with FAA and military leaders to get to the bottom of what occurred. “There are real security threats that the Department of War is rightly focused on addressing,” Cruz said. “At the same time, the FAA is rightly focused on ensuring safety in the airspace. And so, at this point, the details of what exactly occurred over El Paso are unclear.” Cruz added that he hoped “more details can be publicly shared in the coming days on interagency coordination.”
My team has been working with the FAA, DOW, and others to gather more information about this morning's temporary airspace closure in El Paso.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) February 11, 2026
I’m hopeful more details can be publicly shared in the coming days on interagency coordination. https://t.co/MyguEKk3XF
GOP Congressman Troy Nehls of Richmond, chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, was more pointed. “Having effective communication could prevent little things like this from becoming an issue,” Nehls said, confirming the panel would investigate why the FAA administrator shut down the airspace. Republican Senator John Cornyn, meanwhile, largely echoed the Trump administration’s cartel drone explanation without pushing for deeper answers.
On the Democratic side, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, whose district covers much of El Paso, was unequivocal: “The highly consequential decision by the FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and resulted in significant concern in the community.” Escobar flatly disputed the cartel drone narrative. “The statement by the administration that this shutdown was linked to a Mexican cartel drone that came into U.S. airspace — that is not my understanding,” she said. “The information coming from the administration does not add up.”
Update on the El Paso Airspace 🧵
— Rep. Veronica Escobar (@RepEscobar) February 12, 2026
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, notably, remained largely silent throughout the day, offering no direct public statement on the closure even as hours passed.
How Unprecedented Is This?
In a word: profoundly. El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson put it plainly: “This was a major and unnecessary disruption, one that has not occurred since 9/11.”
The TSA’s own chief told lawmakers that she was only notified of the closure after it had already taken effect — a stunning admission of internal miscommunication. El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, who oversees the county’s emergency management operations, said he was not informed at all.
Drone incursions along the southern border, for context, are not rare. Military commanders have testified to Congress that such incursions number in the thousands each month. None of them has previously triggered a 10-day shutdown of a major American city’s airspace.
What sets this incident apart is not just its scale, but the cascade of failures it exposed: a Pentagon operating new weapons technology without FAA sign-off, an FAA taking drastic unilateral action without notifying the White House, local officials, or congressional representatives, and an administration offering an explanation that lawmakers and local leaders say doesn’t square with the facts they’ve been given.
What Comes Next
The FAA has lifted the El Paso restrictions, but airspace over parts of southern New Mexico remains closed — and the reasons for that, Congresswoman Escobar said, cannot yet be publicly shared.
Congress has opened investigations. Classified briefings are being requested. And in El Paso, Mayor Johnson has vowed to hold the FAA accountable: “El Paso deserves transparency, accountability, and a real seat at the table when decisions like this are made.”
For Texans, the message is unsettling: in the name of border security, the skies above one of the state’s great cities can be closed — instantly, without notice, and with contradictory explanations — at the push of a button. The question now is whether lawmakers on both sides of the aisle will demand the coordination and accountability necessary to ensure it never happens again.
Sources: CNN, Texas Tribune, El Paso Matters, NPR, CNBC, Border Report, Houston Chronicle
Austin ISD’s top attorney is directly pushing back against claims that the district organized or approved student protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at more than a dozen campuses.
Kenneth Walker, the district’s chief legal counsel, called the attorney general’s suggestions that AISD helped facilitate the walkouts “misplaced,” arguing that the state is unfairly targeting the district despite similar demonstrations occurring across Texas. (KXAN-TV)
Meanwhile, hundreds of students walked out of Vista Ridge High School on Wednesday morning in yet another student-led Central Texas protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Nearly 40 Texas House Democrats are calling on the Texas Education Agency to provide clearer guidance on how schools should handle student walkouts, arguing the current recommendations are too vague and may not prioritize student safety.
State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, has raised concerns about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s tactics – including home searches, detentions of U.S. citizens and deportations – and called on Wednesday for a legislative review of Texas’ cooperation with ICE and a state mandate that certain local law enforcement partner with the agency through 287(g) agreements.
ICE activity was reported early Wednesday at 183 and Metric Boulevard.
Also Research Boulevard and Metric.
One person was hospitalized Wednesday morning following a shooting connected to an active criminal investigation near Mustang Ridge.
A man is charged with murder in the beating death of an elderly man on January 31 that also required a SWAT response.
WANTED
CapMetro officials are talking about two recent stabbings on its buses. On Wednesday, CapMetro held its first Operations, Planning, and Safety Committee Meeting since those incidents.
“It’s not transit’s job or responsibility to solve all of society’s problems, broader social issues and healthcare issues, and lots of economic issues that fall on our doorstep, but we may not be able to solve those problems, but we do have to grapple with the impact of those broader social problems, and I think this is virtually, and putting aside the Project Connect and expansion of the transit system, probably the most critical issue for the agency to confront.” — Austin City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem, Chito Vela
Officials highlighted several ongoing improvements, including better lighting and visibility, an increased presence of CapMetro Police officers, and expanded partnerships with agencies that support people experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges. (FOX 7 Austin)
A local political action committee, Austin United PAC, is aiming to thwart the expansion of the city convention center has appealed to the Texas Supreme Court after losing its case at trial last week. (Austin American-Statesman)
Samsung leaders confirm a third-party contractor died at its semiconductor factor in Taylor on Wednesday.
Austin’s local firefighters union is backing one of its own in her fight for medical benefits to treat her cancer.
One person died and three others were injured in a two-vehicle collision in east Austin early Wednesday morning, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.
Austin city leaders broke ground on a new pedestrian beacon on North Lamar Boulevard on Wednesday.
The Ascension Seton Austin Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K is this Sunday downtown. More than 30,000 runners are expected to participate. (KXAN-TV)
ROAD CLOSURES ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13
| 9th St | Brazos St | Colorado St | X | 2/13/26 9:00 am | 2/15/26 8:00 pm | |||||
| Congress Ave. | 7th St | 11th St | X | 2/13/26 9:00 am | 2/15/26 8:00 pm | |||||
| 8th St | Brazos St | Colorado St | X | 2/13/26 2:00 pm | 2/15/26 8:00 pm | |||||
| 10th St | Brazos St | Colorado St | X | 2/13/26 2:00 pm | 2/15/26 8:00 pm | |||||
| Colorado St | 8th St | 10th St | NB closed | 2/13/26 2:00 pm | 2/15/26 8:00 pm | |||||
Road closures and marathon route information can be found here.
Barton Springs Pool swimmers will have to find alternatives for a few weeks beginning February 23.
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Meteorologist Nick Bannin gives us a live look at the beginning of our upcoming severe weather season.
Nearly two dozen positions are being eliminated at UT Austin, resulting in layoffs, but school officials say these resources will be “repurposed.”. (FOX 7 Austin)
Texas announced that they are filing a lawsuit against Snap, Inc., the parent company of the popular social media company Snapchat.
BREAKING: I'm suing Snapchat for deceiving parents, endangering Texas kids by exposing them to addictive features, and serving as a breeding ground for obscene conduct. pic.twitter.com/7h00Akp8r1
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) February 11, 2026
Texas has launched a $13 million statewide spay, neuter, vaccination program. The funds will be distributed to municipal and county shelters, private animal shelters, 501(c) nonprofits, animal rescue entities, and veterinary clinics across Texas that apply for direct grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 per fiscal year. (Houston Public Media)
Rep. James Talarico’s haul, announced days before early voting, already outpaces what he raised over the last three months of last year. (Texas Tribune)
Texas Democrat and labor leader Taylor Rehmet turned tables in a special election runoff for the Texas Senate seat in District 9, defeating GOP pick Leigh Wambsganss in a 40-year Republican stronghold. (Texas Standard)
A University of Houston poll finds that several Texas races on the ballot this May are very competitive.
(Episode from February 11, 2026)
(Episode from February 11, 2026)
A San Antonio area high school athlete died after suffering a medical emergency during an offseason football practice, according to Northside Independent School District officials. (Texas Public Radio)
Houston is about to expand its convention center.
James Van Der Beek — best known for his role as Dawson Leery in the hit late 1990s and early aughts show Dawson’s Creek — has died. He was 48. Van Der Beek announced his diagnosis of Stage 3 colon cancer in November 2024.
Van Der Beek and his family moved to Central Texas in 2020, buying a sprawling estate in Spicewood.
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: The Red Raiders crushed last night. The Aggies lost a heartbreaker.
Donovan Atwell scored 20 points with six 3-pointers and JT Toppin matched a career high with 18 rebounds in his 46th career double-double as No. 16 Texas Tech blew out Colorado 78-44 on Wednesday night. (Associated Press)
Trent Pierce scored a season-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, Shawn Phillips Jr. had the go-ahead dunk and a block in the closing seconds, and Missouri beat Texas A&M 86-85 on Wednesday night to snap a five-game skid against the Aggies. (Associated Press)
That same Missouri team hosts Texas on Saturday.
NBA: The San Antonio Spurs did exactly what they wanted to do heading into the All-Star break.
De’Aaron Fox scored 27 points and Victor Wembanyama added 26 to send the San Antonio Spurs into the All-Star break on a six-game winning streak after beating the Golden State Warriors 126-113 Wednesday night. (Associated Press)
A tough one in Houston last night.
Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points and his three-point play with two seconds remaining lifted the Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. (Associated Press)
ON THE SCHEDULE
San Antonio are officially on their All-Star break while the Dallas Mavericks have one more to go.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Seven Texas Longhorns have been invited to the NFL Combine.
A new episode of Stories Bigger Than Texas via The Alamo.
Episode 119: Tejanos Of The Texas Revolution
In early February 1836, the Alamo is just days away from being under siege by the Mexican Army. A fight about the role government should play in the lives of its citizens has now evolved into a fight for independence.
We reveal the roles Tejanos played in the Texas Revolution, the dilemma many faced when the Revolution hurtled toward independence, and the key figures we remember so proudly today. Featuring the Alamo’s former curator Dr. Bruce Winders.
