UPDATE AT 9:25 P.M.
The Department of War, the FAA and CBP issued this joint statement to ABC-7:
“At President Trump’s direction, the Department of War, FAA, and Customs and Border Patrol are working together in an unprecedented fashion to mitigate drone threats by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations at the U.S.-Mexico Border.
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.
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.
The bottom line is the Trump Administration is doing more to secure the border and crack down on cartels than any administration in history.”
UPDATE – The FAA provided the following statement to ABC-7 on the TFR for Fort Hancock:
“A temporary flight restriction (TFR) was already in place around the Fort Hancock area. The TFR has been expanded to include a greater radius to ensure safety. Because of the location of the TFR, it does not impact commercial flights.”
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Temporary Flight Restriction covering the Fort Hancock area in Hudspeth County immediately adjacent to the border with Mexico.
The FAA website notes the restrictions went into place just after 4:30 p.m. Mountain time on Thursday, and lists it as in place through June due to “Special Security Reasons.”
The restriction includes the following Operating Restrictions and Requirements:
“No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM (except as described).
EXCLUDING MEXICAN AIRSPACE. ALL ACFT OPS ARE PROHIBITED. EXIGENT ACFT OPS SUCH AS MEDEVAC/AIR AMBULANCE FLIGHTS OR SEARCH AND RESCUE CAN CONTACT ALBUQUERQUE CENTER” with contact instructions to coordinate with the Joint Task Force – Southern Border on entry into the restricted airspace.
Regional and national lawmakers posted reactions Thursday night to the flight restrictions. Democrats on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure posted a joint statement from Rep. Rick Larsen (D – Washington), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D – Mississippi) and Rep. Andre Carson (D – Indiana) on X.com:
“Ranking Members Larsen, Thompson and Carson Statement After DOD Reportedly Shot Down CBP Drone
“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. We said MONTHS ago that the White House’s decision to sidestep a bipartisan, tri-committee bill to appropriately train C-UAS 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.”
In a separate post on X, State Sen. Cesar Blanco (D – Texas) posted the following:
“Our office is aware of reports that the FAA closed airspace near Fort Hancock following the reported use of an anti-drone laser system. We are actively gathering information to understand what occurred and ensure our community’s safety.
“We will provide further updates as more details become available. #txlege @FAANews”
ABC-7 has reached out to the Department of War, FAA, the Department of Homeland Security as well as Customs and Border Protection for more information.
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