Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says airspace over El Paso was breached by Mexican cartel drones. (Eric Lee/Getty Images)
He did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.
The FAA's initial announcement had said the El Paso airport would be closed for a period of 10 days, which would have been unprecedented for a U.S. city. The FAA had cited "special security reasons" for the initial closure.
El Paso, a border city with a population of nearly 700,000 people and larger when including the surrounding metro area, is hub of cross-border commerce alongside the neighboring city of Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. The brief closure did not include Mexican airspace.
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A sign at the El Paso International Airport (ELP) on December 25, 2025 in El Paso, Texas. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, had urged the FAA to lift the restrictions in a statement Wednesday morning. There was no advance notice given to her office, the city of El Paso or airport operations, she said.
"The highly consequential decision by FAA to shut down the El Paso Airport for 10 days is unprecedented and has resulted in significant concern within the community," Escobar said. "From what my office and I have been able to gather overnight and early this morning there is no immediate threat to the community or surrounding areas."
The incident came the same day that the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a warning about a "fake memo circulating online and through media outlets announcing temporary 10-day road closures in the El Paso area."
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"This is a fake memo, and DPS is NOT closing the major highways – or any roads – in or out of the area over the next 10 days," DPS said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on X: @Hagstrom_Anders.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mexican-cartel-drones-breach-us-airspace-disabled-war-department-duffy-says