Conflicting information swirled on Feb. 11, 2026, on what caused the Federal Aviation Administration to close the airspace around Fort Bliss and El Paso, Texas, and what role the military may have played. (Jacob Lang/U.S. Army)
WASHINGTON — Top Democrats on three House committees on Wednesday called for the Pentagon, the Transportation Department and the Department of Homeland Security to hold a joint classified briefing to explain why El Paso’s airspace was suddenly shut down last week.
Administration officials said the closure was in response to an incursion of drones from drug cartels, but reports also emerged that immigration agents had used an anti-drone laser on loan from the Pentagon to fire at a party balloon without consulting aviation officials.
The incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to declare a 10-day closure of the airspace around El Paso International Airport. The order was abruptly lifted about seven hours later.
The ranking members of the House Armed Services Committee (Rep. Adam Smith of Washington), Transportation Committee (Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington) and Committee on Homeland Security (Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi) said they have received little or no substantive information on what led to the events in El Paso despite repeated outreach to the departments.
“We request a joint classified briefing as soon as possible to gain clarity into what led to the closure of airspace in the El Paso area and how your Departments plan to rectify the systemic failures in your C-UAS deployment process,” the Democrats wrote in a letter sent Wednesday, referring to high-energy counter-unmanned aircraft systems.
The letter is addressed to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Your Departments are instrumental in protecting U.S. critical infrastructure and assets from the growing threat of malicious UAS operations,” the lawmakers wrote, referring to unmanned aerial systems, also known as drones. “However, these efforts must be appropriately coordinated to ensure the safety of the American people.”
The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, also called for answers last week and said he wanted a full accounting of what had occurred in U.S. airspace and why parts of the federal government had given conflicting explanations.
“The Department of Defense and the FAA must immediately present the facts, reconcile these discrepancies, and assure the American people that airspace security decisions are being made responsibly, transparently, and with public safety as the highest priority,” Reed said.
A Pentagon official declined to comment on the House lawmakers’ request Wednesday, saying the department will respond directly to members of Congress. The Transportation Department and Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.
Confusion over what transpired in El Paso has also raised questions from Republicans. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and John Cornyn, also of Texas, said last week that they wanted a classified briefing on the incident from the Pentagon and the FAA.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican whose district will soon include parts of El Paso, said in an interview last week that more communication was needed as the military works with the Department of Homeland Security to intercept drones the Trump administration says are surveilling border agents and smuggling drugs.
“It’s important to keep lawmakers informed on what’s happening on a regular basis,” he said. “The more transparent we can be and the more sharing of information that we can provide, then that offers less room for someone to make up some imaginary thing.”
Contributing: Stars and Stripes reporters Rose L. Thayer and Matthew Adams