FAA SHUTS DOWN Major City — Cartel Invasion

The Federal Aviation Administration shut down airspace over a major American city for what officials initially said would be ten days, then reversed course within hours after neutralizing cartel drones that had penetrated our southern border defenses.

Story Snapshot

FAA closed El Paso airspace on February 11, 2026, after military forces neutralized cartel drones near the border, initially announcing a 10-day restriction before lifting it within eight hours
Mexican cartels launched over 60,000 drone flights along the southern border in the second half of 2024, seizing more than 1,200 pounds of narcotics and killing 21 people in drone attacks
Bureaucratic FAA restrictions prevent Border Patrol and military forces from deploying counter-drone jammers and laser systems that could neutralize threats, prioritizing civilian aviation procedures over national security
Cartels employ Chinese-manufactured DJI drones and Ukraine-trained operatives using advanced FPV models immune to jamming, creating an escalating technological arms race

When Bureaucracy Meets Balloons Over El Paso

The city of El Paso woke up on February 11, 2026, to grounded flights and canceled travel plans. Department of Defense personnel had neutralized what some witnesses described as cartel drones crossing from Mexico near military installations. The FAA’s response raised more questions than it answered. Administrator Bryan Bedford imposed an unannounced airspace closure over the 700,000-resident city, declaring it would last ten days. Then, as quickly as the restriction appeared, it vanished. Within eight hours, commercial aviation resumed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy assured the public the threat had been neutralized and posed no danger to commercial travel.

The Drone Invasion Nobody Wants to Discuss

The El Paso incident represents a single data point in a disturbing pattern. Between July and December 2024, Homeland Security tracked 27,000 drone flights within 500 meters of the southern border. Other estimates push that number past 60,000 for the same period. Customs and Border Protection seized over 1,200 pounds of narcotics transported by drones during those six months alone. One intercepted drone carried 3.6 pounds of fentanyl, enough to kill tens of thousands of Americans. These aren’t recreational hobbyists flying quadcopters at sunset. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel operates a dedicated drone unit responsible for 42 documented attacks and 21 deaths between 2023 and 2024.

Mexican cartels began experimenting with commercially available drones around 2021, purchasing Chinese-manufactured DJI models for basic surveillance work. The technology evolved rapidly. By 2024, cartel operators deployed custom-built first-person-view drones capable of carrying 100-kilogram payloads. Intelligence reports confirmed that cartel operatives received training in Ukraine, where they learned advanced techniques for operating FPV drones resistant to electronic jamming. The Jalisco cartel favors the DJI Avata 2, a $600 consumer model readily available online. Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels now engage in a technological arms race, each attempting to outpace the other’s aerial capabilities.

Military Bases Under Surveillance

The southern border tells only half the story. Langley Air Force Base in Virginia endured seventeen consecutive nights of drone incursions in December 2023. Military officials proposed countermeasures. The FAA rejected them. In November 2024, drones appeared over Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey. Homeland Security deployed resources and confirmed some sightings as actual drones, not misidentified aircraft. A joint federal statement released December 16, 2024, attributed the majority of New Jersey sightings to lawful drone operations and misidentifications of manned aircraft. The pattern remained consistent: documented incursions followed by official assurances that posed no credible threat.

The FAA Chokehold on National Security

Federal Aviation Administration regulations prohibit the military and Border Patrol from deploying radio frequency jammers and laser-based counter-drone systems without extensive certification processes. The FAA’s mandate centers on civilian aviation safety, ensuring that counter-drone technologies don’t interfere with commercial flight operations or GPS navigation systems. This regulatory framework made sense when drones meant hobbyists filming landscapes. It becomes absurd when cartel operators use drones to surveil military helicopters, smuggle fentanyl, and conduct armed attacks. Defense contractors like Dedrone track incidents meticulously. Company representatives documented 37,000 drone sightings in nine months before 2025, yet deployment of their counter-systems remains stalled in certification limbo.

The El Paso closure exposed this dysfunction. Critics characterized the FAA’s initial ten-day restriction as retaliation against military forces that acted without awaiting proper authorization. Whether the neutralized object was a sophisticated cartel drone or a simple balloon remains disputed among eyewitnesses and official accounts. What cannot be disputed is the absurdity of grounding an entire city’s commercial aviation for what officials claim was a resolved threat. Representative Veronica Escobar lobbied to minimize economic damage to her constituents. The swift reversal suggests either gross overreaction or a bureaucratic temper tantrum when national security operations circumvent aviation procedures.

Chinese Manufacturing and Strategic Vulnerabilities

The drone supply chain leads directly to China. DJI, the Shenzhen-based manufacturer, dominates the global consumer and commercial drone market. Cartels purchase DJI equipment through standard retail channels, then modify it for smuggling and surveillance operations. The Federal Communications Commission responded in February 2026 by banning new authorizations for Chinese-manufactured drones over national security concerns. This policy shift acknowledges what border security personnel have known for years: America’s adversaries and criminal organizations exploit commercial technology developed by strategic competitors. The irony cuts deep. Chinese manufacturing enables Mexican cartels to challenge U.S. airspace sovereignty while American regulatory agencies prevent domestic forces from mounting effective defenses.

What Happens When Regulators Ignore Reality

DHS counter-drone director Steven Willoughby confirmed the scale of the problem in congressional testimony. Border Patrol documented massive drug seizures facilitated by aerial reconnaissance. The National Counterterrorism Center attributed 21 deaths directly to cartel drone attacks. Atlantic Council analysts described an arms race between Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels, each escalating capabilities to gain tactical advantages. Federal officials continue issuing reassurances about lawful drone operations and misidentified aircraft while seizure statistics and body counts mount. The disconnect between official statements and documented reality would be comedic if the consequences weren’t measured in American lives lost to fentanyl and compromised military security.

Common sense suggests that when foreign criminal organizations fly 60,000 missions over American territory in six months, regulatory priorities need immediate adjustment. The FAA’s insistence on lengthy certification processes for counter-drone systems while cartels operate with impunity demonstrates bureaucratic dysfunction at its most dangerous. Border Patrol agents and military personnel possess the expertise and equipment to neutralize aerial threats. What they lack is legal authority to act without navigating an approval maze designed for a threat environment that no longer exists. The choice before policymakers is stark: reform FAA regulations to address asymmetric drone warfare, or continue prioritizing procedural compliance while criminal organizations dominate American airspace along the southern border and over military installations.