The closure of the American "El Paso" airport and its rapid reopening led to the escalation of widespread controversy, after it was linked to drones attributed to Mexican drug cartels, amid Mexican denials and skepticism in Washington about the existence of a role for the army or for defensive tests in the air.
Published on: 12/02/2026 - 00:31
The US government reported on Wednesday that drones attributed to Mexican drug cartels entered US airspace, and that the US military confronted them, as part of an explanation of the reason for the sudden closure of El Paso Airport in the southern state of Texas before it was restarted.
On the other hand, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum explained that her country's authorities do not have "any information" about the presence of drones at the border, while legislators and sources quoted by American media questioned the Trump administration's narrative, and suggested that the closure was likely linked to American military drones or tests of anti-drones systems.
For its part, the US Federal Aviation Administration announced on Tuesday the suspension of air traffic over the city of El Paso for ten days, attributing the decision to “security reasons” that were not detailed, before returning and allowing flights to resume within less than 24 hours.
The talk about drones penetrating American airspace comes about 5 months after the United States launched a military campaign targeting boats suspected of smuggling drugs, a development that may give US President Donald Trump a justification to implement his threat to expand strikes to Mexican territory, and perhaps the capital, Mexico City.
Read also: The United States stops flights at El Paso Airport in Texas “for special security reasons”
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According to an American official who preferred to remain anonymous, “drones belonging to Mexican drug cartels penetrated American airspace,” stressing that American forces “took measures to disrupt the marches.”
As for senior Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives Transportation Committee, they considered that the Ministry of Defense may bear responsibility for the accident, pointing out that some provisions of defense policy legislation allow the US military to “act recklessly in public airspace.”
Based on these concerns, lawmakers called for a mechanism to ensure that “the Department of Defense does not jeopardize safety and does not impede freedom of travel.”
American media reports also indicated the possibility that the closure of El Paso Airport was linked to the use of American military drones or the conduct of anti-drone tests, rather than being caused by a threat emanating from drug gangs.
During her regular press conference on Wednesday, Sheinbaum stressed that her government “does not have any information regarding the use of drones on the border,” while confirming the launch of an investigation to find out the circumstances of the decision to close the airport.
France 24/AFP
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