Democrats fear ‘chaos in the skies’ after US government fires laser again near Mexico border
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The US military used a laser on Thursday to shoot down a “terrorist” aircraft flying near the US-Mexico border. It turns out that the drone belongs to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), law enforcement officials said.
The incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to close another airport near Fort Hancock, Texas, about 80 miles southeast of El Paso. The military is required to formally notify the FAA if they take any anti-drone action within US airspace.
It was the second time in two weeks that the area was lasered. The last time it was CBP used a weapon, and nothing was hit. That incident occurred near Fort Bliss, prompting the FAA to close the El Paso Airport and surrounding areas.
The closure at this time was minimal and commercial flights were not affected.
Washington US Representative Rick Larsen and two other top Democrats on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Homeland Security committees said they were surprised when they were officially notified.
“Our heads are exploding because of this news,” the lawyers said in a joint statement. They criticized the Trump administration for “watering down” a bipartisan bill to train drone operators and improve coordination between the Pentagon, the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes CBP.
“Now, we’re seeing the result of its inefficiency,” Democrats said.
The government defends the use of anti-drone lasers
The FAA, CBP and the Pentagon released a joint statement late Thursday that acknowledged the military had “used unmanned aircraft system authorities to mitigate an apparently threatening aircraft system operating within a military aircraft.”
The statement said it took place away from densely populated areas and commercial flights as part of the administration’s efforts to strengthen border security.
“At the direction of President Trump, the Department of the Army (Defense), the FAA, and the Customs and Border Patrol are working together like never before to reduce drone threats posed by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations along the US-Mexico Border,” the statement said.
The shutdown in El Paso two weeks ago lasted only a few hours, but it raised alarms; The FAA initially moved to close the Texas airport for ten days – and it led to the cancellation of many flights in the city of nearly 700,000 people.
In that case, the anti-drone laser was used by CBP without contacting the FAA, which then decided to close the El Paso airspace to ensure the safety of commercial aviation, according to sources familiar with the incident, but not authorized to discuss it.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the ranking member of the Senate subcommittee on aviation, called for an independent investigation.
“The incompetence of the Trump administration continues to wreak havoc in our skies,” said Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat.
Members of Congress have already expressed concern about the failure of various federal agencies to cooperate after the January 2025 mid-air collision near Washington, DC, between a helicopter and a military aircraft that killed 67 people.
The National Transportation Safety Board said after the fatal crash that the FAA and the U.S. military failed to share safety information about the alarming number of calls near Reagan National Airport and failed to address the dangers.
Regional anti-drone capabilities are enabled
Two months ago, with the Safer Skies Act, Congress agreed to give several law enforcement agencies — including some state and local departments — the authority to take down rogue drones as long as they are properly trained. Previously, only a select few agencies had that power.
Armed drones regularly carry out destructive attacks in Ukraine and allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia.
The US government has released more than $250 million to help states prepare to respond to drones ahead of hosting the World Cup and the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations this summer.
Another $250 million in grants will be awarded later this year to strengthen the nation’s air defenses.
The Trump administration in the first incident initially suggested that the intervention was due to a Mexican drug cartels. Cartels routinely use drones across the US border and monitor Border Patrol officials. Federal officials told Congress last summer that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters of the southern border in the last six months of 2024.
The threat to aircraft from drones continues to increase, with the number of near misses at airports around the world. In the US, DHS estimates that there are over 1.7 million registered drones.
Anti-drone systems can use radio signals to jam drones, or high-powered microwaves or laser beams, like those used in Texas, that can disable the equipment.
There are also other systems that use ammunition, but those are more common on battlefields than at home.
