Now the Military Is Apparently Shooting Down Border Patrol’s Own Drones

Remember when, all of two weeks ago, the entire airspace surrounding El Paso, Texas–including all the airports and rerouted medical flights–was suddenly shut down by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in response to an unspecified threat? The probable cause seemed to be a spat or lack of coordination between the FAA and either Border Patrol or the Department of Defense, one of which was apparently gung-ho to test or utilize some of its new high-energy laser technology as an anti-drone measure, despite the FAA worrying about the potential danger to other flights in the area. That laser technology was apparently used against a perceived threat that the Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy claimed was a Mexican cartel drone incursion, but CBS News later reported may have in fact been … a party balloon. That caused the entire area’s airspace to be shut down without warning, for what was initially announced as “10 days,” and then lifted only hours later. Well buckle up, because we’re about to get into even dumber airspace adventures.

Congressional representatives told the media Friday that they were briefed on a recent incident in which the Department of Defense utilized some of the same laser anti-drone technology to shoot down another object near the Mexican border … which turned out to be one of Border Patrol’s own drones. And like the previous incident, they once again seemingly didn’t coordinate with the FAA, which resulted in the FAA implementing a “temporary flight restriction” starting Thursday evening above the town of Fort Hancock, Texas, “to ensure safety.” Thankfully, unlike in a major city like El Paso, that restriction is far less likely to immediately impact commercial flights. Less encouragingly, it suggests that the military and the FAA (and DHS, with Border Patrol) all have zero idea of what the other is doing, and that the FAA believes this is putting all the rest of us at risk. If they didn’t believe there was danger, after all, there would be no need to restrict the airspace.

“Our heads are exploding over the news that DoD reportedly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a high risk counter-unmanned aircraft system,” said three Democrats of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in a statement. “We said MONTHS ago that the White House’s decision to sidestep a bipartisan, tri-committee bill to appropriately train C-UAS (counter unmanned aerial system) operators and address the lack of coordination between the Pentagon, DHS and the FAA was a short-sighted idea. Now, we’re seeing the result of its incompetence.”

I didn't think the cockup two weeks ago could be topped. And yet. Apparently the lethal warfighters accidentally took out a Border Patrol drone.

At least they are shooting each other.

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— Helen Kennedy (@helenkennedy.com) Feb 26, 2026 at 9:57 PM

The DoD, Border Patrol and the FAA, meanwhile, collectively confirmed that an “engagement occurred” and that the story is legitimate, while saying that they would work on “increased cooperation” in the future. What, is shooting down your own drones getting embarrassing or something?

“This reported engagement occurred when the Department of War employed counter-unmanned aircraft system authorities to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace,” said the statement from DoD and the others. “The engagement took place far away from populated areas and there were no commercial aircraft in the vicinity. These agencies will continue to work on increased cooperation and communication to prevent such incidents in the future.”

In other words: Oops, we fucked up while playing with our extremely dangerous new laser toys, only two weeks after the last time we fucked up while playing with our extremely dangerous new laser toys. What’s the takeaway supposed to be for American travelers? That this isn’t a great time to be on an airplane anywhere near the southern border?

Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL), the top Democratic member on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee and former military helicopter pilot, has called for an investigation into the widespread “dysfunction” seemingly posing a threat to aviation in the United States, calling both of these incidents involving the DoD and the FAA “scandals.”

“The situation is alarming and demands a thorough, independent investigation,” said Duckworth’s statement. “The Trump administration’s incompetence continues to cause chaos in our skies. I will be calling on the Inspectors General of the Departments of Defense, Transportation and Homeland Security to launch a joint investigation into the recent scandals in El Paso and now Fort Hancock.”