EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 More than a day after federal officials abruptly shut down airspace over El Paso, local and federal leaders said they still have not received a clear explanation for what prompted the move \u2014 or why it was reversed just hours later.<\/p>\n
El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson told CNN on Thursday that more than 24 hours after the closure, he still had not heard from the Trump administration about what led to the decision. <\/p>\n
Johnson criticized the lack of communication with local officials.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven’t heard any good reasons why they didn’t coordinate with us. We have an emergency operation center that should have been looped in. I want to tell you that this created complete chaos and confusion in our community,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary flight restriction late Tuesday night, restricting airspace over the region and grounding flights coming in and out of El Paso International Airport. <\/p>\n
The restriction was initially set to last 10 days but was lifted hours later.<\/p>\n
Conflicting explanations have circulated about what caused the shutdown. <\/p>\n
Some reports stated the closure may have stemmed from a disagreement between the FAA and the Department of Defense over anti-drone laser testing near Fort Bliss. <\/p>\n
However, the Pentagon blamed the closure on Mexican cartel drones breaching U.S. airspace.<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, later said drone incursions from Mexico are not unusual. <\/p>\n
U.S Border Patrol previously addressed drone activity in the region in a 2019 press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was nothing extraordinary about the drone and any drone incursion into us, into the U.S. that I’m aware of,\u201d Escobar said.<\/p>\n RELATED:Drone being used as ‘lookout’ for illegal crossings in El Paso area<\/a><\/p>\n Questions about the shutdown and the federal response reached Capitol Hill. <\/p>\n During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n, D-New Mexico, raised concerns about a lack of coordination between federal agencies and said the confusion affected travelers well beyond the Borderland.<\/p>\n \u201cJust yesterday, we saw how the lack of coordination between the FAA and the Department of Defense can lead to widespread confusion. Flights were delayed, canceled for many of my constituents, Senator Cruz’s constituents and others throughout the United States,\u201d Luj\u00e1n said.<\/p>\n During the same hearing, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy said the NTSB is not investigating what happened in El Paso, but referenced broader concerns about the FAA\u2019s safety culture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re not involved in El Paso, but what I will say is we did note the poor safety culture within the air traffic organization,\u201d Homendy said.<\/p>\n Escobar and other lawmakers from Texas and New Mexico also sent a letter to federal agencies demanding answers. <\/p>\n In the letter, lawmakers wrote, \u201cWe are urgently requesting a classified briefing on what occurred, with representatives from your agencies made available to speak to the roles they played, acknowledge where the failed communication occurred, and share the steps you are taking to ensure a future crisis of this nature will not re-occur.\u201d<\/p>\n Federal agencies have not released additional details about what caused the airspace closure. Local and federal leaders said they are still waiting for an official explanation about how and why the decision was made.<\/p>\n RELATED:FAA lifts El Paso airspace closure after cartel drone breach, federal officials say<\/a><\/p>\n