The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone near El Paso, Texas, members of Congress said Thursday, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to close some nearby airspace. It’s the second laser deployment in the area in two weeks, and officials say the military must formally notify the FAA whenever it takes counter-drone action inside U.S. airspace.
Details about why the laser was used were not disclosed. Two weeks earlier, a CBP-fired laser near Fort Bliss, about 50 miles northwest of El Paso, did not hit a target but prompted the FAA to shut down El Paso airspace for several hours and led to multiple flight cancellations. This most recent closure was smaller and did not affect commercial flights.
Reps. Rick Larsen and two other senior Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Homeland Security committees said they were stunned when notified and criticized the Trump administration for sidestepping a bipartisan bill intended to train drone operators and improve communications among the Pentagon, the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security. “Our heads are exploding over the news,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement, accusing the administration of incompetence for failing to coordinate.
The FAA, CBP and the Pentagon issued a joint statement saying the military “employed counter-unmanned aircraft system authorities to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace.” The agencies said the action took place far from populated areas and commercial flights as part of efforts to strengthen border protections. The statement framed the operations as part of a broader push, at the president’s direction, to counter drone threats from Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations.
The prior Fort Bliss incident raised alarm about interagency coordination after CBP reportedly deployed an anti-drone laser without coordinating with the FAA, which closed the El Paso airspace to protect commercial aviation. Members of Congress said the episode appeared to reflect continuing dysfunction among agencies. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he planned to brief lawmakers and defended the FAA’s decision to close the airspace, saying it was not a mistake and did not stem from a communication lapse.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the ranking member on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee, called for independent investigations into the incidents, calling the situation alarming and blaming the administration’s handling for causing confusion in the skies. Investigations into last year’s midair collision near Washington, D.C., which killed 67 people, had already highlighted lapses in data sharing and coordination between the FAA and the Army, the National Transportation Safety Board found.
Concerns about drone threats have been rising. Two months ago, Congress expanded authority for more law enforcement agencies, including some state and local departments, to take down rogue drones if personnel are properly trained; previously, only a few federal agencies had that power. The federal government has provided more than $250 million to help states prepare for drone threats ahead of major events such as World Cup matches and the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday celebrations. Another $250 million in grants is expected to be awarded later this year to bolster drone defenses.
Drones are already a significant problem along the southern border. Cartels frequently use unmanned aircraft to deliver drugs and to surveil Border Patrol operations. Officials told Congress that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 1,600 feet (500 meters) of the southern border during the last six months of 2024. Homeland Security estimates there are more than 1.7 million registered drones in the United States — a figure that continues to grow — and the number of near-misses and risks to aircraft has increased.
Counter-drone systems vary. Some use radio signals to jam drone controls, others deploy high-powered microwaves or laser beams to disable electronics, and some use small interceptor drones to collide with or capture hostile drones. Kinetic options, such as projectiles, are more common on battlefields than in domestic settings.