WASHINGTON — Confusion reigned Wednesday after the Federal Aviation Administration abruptly announced a 10-day closure of airspace over El Paso, Texas for “special security reasons” — only to reopen the skies fewer than eight hours later.

A Trump administration official initially explained that the shutdown took place after “Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace” — without saying where, when or what kind of drones were involved.

“The Department of War took action to disable the drones,” the official added. “The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”

Cars cross the “Paso del Norte” International Bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. AP

The location of the airspace. FAA

But a source familiar with the incident told The Post that it was actually Department of Homeland Security special forces who fired the laser at what it first thought was cartel drones, but turned out to be at least one mylar balloon, commonly seen at birthday parties.

Fox News reported a similar account, citing a US official, and noted that the Pentagon recently rented out a high-energy laser to Customs and Border Patrol.

Traditionally, it is the military’s job to counter such threats to the homeland.

DHS, DoW and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for clarification.

Other outlets, however, reported the snafu stemmed from a dispute over Pentagon plans to test a high-energy laser meant for use against cartel drones

The measure was nixed after just 8 hours. @flyelp/Instagram

Planes sit on the tarmac at El Paso International Airport on Feb. 11, 2026, after all flights were grounded. Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shortly before 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, the FAA wrote on X: “The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.”

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a former Army helicopter pilot and ranking member of a Senate subcommittee on aviation, confirmed she was “hearing now is that it was a CBP and [Pentagon] laser-based counter-drone test that was not coordinated prior to them conducting the test with the FAA. So I have all sorts of questions.”

A police officer walks with a K9 police dog at El Paso International Airport, after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted its temporary closure of the airspace over El Paso. REUTERS

People cross the Paso del Norte International Bridge at the U.S.-Mexico border, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday Feb. 11, 2026, on the border with El Paso, Texas. AP

Police officers with K9 police dogs at El Paso International Airport, after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration lifted its temporary closure. REUTERS

“They should have coordinated all of that before they endangered the flying public,” she added.

Tuesday marked the first time since after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York and Washington that the FAA grounded flights into and out of a US-based international airport for security reasons.

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The Trump administration official did not say how the Pentagon purportedly downed the cartel drones, though the Department of War has jamming technology capable of disabling the aerial intruders in addition to laser weaponry.

But CBS News reported that the laser was fired by the US military despite a scheduled meeting later this month to coordinate the test so as not to jeopardize commercial air travel safety, prompting the FAA to issue the restriction, effective at 11:30 p.m. local time, according to CNN.

Security personnel at El Paso International Airport on Feb. 11, 2026. REUTERS

A screen shows canceled flights at El Paso International Airport, in El Paso, Texas, on February 11, 2026. REUTERS

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about that report, either, which The Post has been unable to independently verify.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said the ordeal “never should have happened.”

“You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, hospitals, and community leadership. That failure to communicate is unacceptable,” he said in a statement. “This decision had real consequences. Medical evacuation flights were forced to divert to Las Cruces. All aviation operations were grounded, including emergency flights and even drones.”

Passengers at El Paso International Airport on Feb. 11, 2026. REUTERS

A man rests on a chair at El Paso International Airport on Feb. 11, 2026. REUTERS

“That is not a minor disruption. That is a public safety issue,” he added.

Mexican cartels have been using drones in increasing numbers in recent years, mostly in a surveillance capacity, essentially making the phenomenon a common occurrence, local officials said.

In 2024, roughly 1,000 drone incursions per month were estimated to have occurred at the US-Mexico border, the head of the US military’s Northern Command told Congress at the time.

Ukrainian troops and officials who see the danger of offensive drones daily have long warned the US of the dire threat of the easily accessible systems ending up in the wrong hands.

In interviews with The Post, Kyiv’s troops have previously said the relatively cheap cost of the readily available technology presents a dangerous opportunity for terror attacks and use by other adversaries.