{"id":188253,"date":"2026-03-03T10:50:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T10:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/188253\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T10:50:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T10:50:10","slug":"mass-confusion-government-texts-reveal-chaotic-response-to-shutdown-of-el-paso-airspace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/188253\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Mass Confusion\u2019: Government Texts Reveal Chaotic Response to Shutdown of El Paso Airspace"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the night of Feb. 10, Curtis Dowling, a local Federal Aviation Administration air traffic manager, texted<\/a> an operations manager at El Paso International Airport, Alexander Rao, with a message he seemingly couldn\u2019t believe.<\/p>\n

The FAA\u2019s headquarters, Dowling said, had just issued a \u201cNOTAM\u201d \u2014 notice to airmen \u2014 indicating airspace over El Paso would soon be closing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s this for?\u201d Rao shot back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecurity and it\u2019s gonna be until almost 11 days \u2026 From 2\/11 to 2\/21.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStraight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cZero flights,\u201d Rao pressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Dowling confirmed.<\/p>\n

So began a crisis in the skies for El Paso, Texas, government and aviation officials who found themselves grappling with a shutdown of their local airspace without knowing \u2014 for hours \u2014 what triggered the unprecedented situation. Originally slated to last 10 days, the airspace closure ultimately lasted fewer than eight hours<\/a>, but not before causing extreme turbulence for local authorities.<\/p>\n

Nearly 100 text messages, group chat logs and emails obtained by NOTUS through the Texas Public Information Act and the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act detail how unconfirmed reports about Mexican drug cartels, U.S. military operations and drone-zapping lasers swirled as officials struggled to obtain basic situational information from federal officials.<\/p>\n

The records also describe how officials in El Paso and nearby Do\u00f1a Ana County, New Mexico, in the absence of federal-level intel, quickly coordinated with one another to obtain answers, ensure public safety and manage a torrent of inquiries from airlines, journalists and the flying public about the \u201cTFR\u201d \u2014 aviation-speak for a \u201ctemporary flight restriction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Initially, confusion reigned.<\/p>\n

\u201cInsane,\u201d the El Paso airport\u2019s director of aviation, Tony Nevarez, remarked<\/a> in a text with an airport colleague shortly after Dowling informed him of the air traffic stoppage.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrazy,\u201d another official said<\/a> in a group chat with airport officials.<\/p>\n

An unidentified official texted<\/a> another: \u201cDamn. I\u2019ve called everyone. No one knows nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is wild,\u201d the other official responded.<\/p>\n

Dowling, the local FAA official, said in another chat that he didn\u2019t have any additional details beyond the NOTAM. Transportation Security Administration officials based in the area had no answers, either.<\/p>\n

At 10:47 p.m. local time on Feb. 10, Shawn Naegele, an El Paso Airport security manager, emailed the TSA Coordination Center, along with airport operations supervisors and assistants: \u201cAll aircraft operations within the area are prohibited\u201d as of 11:30 p.m., indicating that the no-fly zone extended 10 nautical miles. \u201cNo other information given,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Five minutes later, he emailed FAA headquarters: \u201cIs there any additional information at this time for this TFR at El Paso?\u201d<\/p>\n

No immediate response arrived.<\/p>\n

One official suggested calling nearby Fort Bliss, while another official suggested contacting the FBI. \u201cI was waiting to see if error. I\u2019ll call them now,\u201d Naegele responded<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Airport officials didn\u2019t just wait around that night for answers that were slow to come.<\/p>\n

Anticipating the worst, officials immediately contacted local police. A sergeant and additional officers soon arrived at the airport. Two K-9 teams would come in the early morning. Regional commands would send one uniformed crew each \u2014 \u201c12 additional officers\u201d \u2014 in the early morning, as well.<\/p>\n

Local TSA officials, meanwhile, would call in all of their transportation security officers \u201cif we need them for crowd control,\u201d Naegele noted in a separate message.<\/p>\n

The airport officials debated seeking answers from the Department of Defense, with Nevarez concluding<\/a> that officials there probably wouldn\u2019t tell them anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoing to be a lot of angry people at the terminal tomorrow morning,\u201d an El Paso airport operations official, Nick Judd, told Nevarez.<\/p>\n

\u201cAffirm,\u201d Nevarez replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter go big and scale down if needed,\u201d another airport official added.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a long night,\u201d Nevarez conceded<\/a> later.<\/p>\n

The press soon learned of El Paso\u2019s plight. And not just local reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re live on national news now,\u201d Naegele wrote in the text message group chat with airport officials, with someone adding a double-exclamation-point emoji response.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh dam,\u201d Willie Paris, the assistant director of aviation operations and security, remarked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of calls from media into dispatch,\u201d Naegele said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSend to Tammy or Laura please,\u201d Nevarez directed, referring to the city\u2019s public information officers.<\/p>\n

But inquiring reporters appeared to be the least of airport officials\u2019 concerns as the clock ticked past midnight.<\/p>\n

Of particular urgency: coordinating with Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and the several other commercial and cargo carriers that use El Paso\u2019s airport, as well as major hubs in Dallas and Atlanta. On a typical weekday, more than 100 commercial flights arrive at or depart from El Paso International Airport.<\/p>\n

A man identifying himself as \u201cKenneth from Southwest\u201d texted<\/a> Nevarez early Feb. 11 to ask if there would be a \u201cbriefing call to provide any additional info?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another man identifying himself as \u201cMarty from Blue Origin,\u201d the space rocket company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, texted<\/a> Paris: \u201cWhat ended up happening today at the airport?! Or is it top secret?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust want to keep you all informed. We are monitoring the TFR. We do not have any further information on this,\u201d Rao, the airport\u2019s operations manager, wrote early in the morning of Feb. 11 in a blast email to 11 airline, air cargo and ground services representatives, including those at FedEx, UPS, DHL, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and GAT Airline Ground Support. \u201cAirport operations is keeping the airfield open and it is ready for if and when the TFR is lifted.\u201d<\/p>\n

A compliance manager at American Airlines, Bella Farley, messaged Rao back to confirm that one flight had been cancelled and nine delayed because of the shutdown.<\/p>\n

Another concern: members of Congress.<\/p>\n

Nevarez alerted the group chat that airport officials would meet virtually with Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat who represents El Paso, at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n

And when the congressional office of Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat from New Mexico, issued a statement indicating that the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, airspace would apparently remain closed for 10 days, a Do\u00f1a Ana County International Jetport manager, Jody Young, emailed other county officials: \u201cWe need to clarify that it is not airspace \u2018around\u2019 Santa Teresa, it is airspace to the west\/southwest of Santa Teresa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ariana Parra, a public safety communications coordinator for Do\u00f1a Ana County, noted that a reporter at local TV station KFOX14 had asked for an interview. \u201cI think it would provide good insight and clarify what has now caused mass confusion,\u201d she said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Las Cruces will be a real airport for 10 days,\u201d an unnamed person on the El Paso airport text chain joked, referring to another, small public airport in nearby Do\u00f1a Ana County that wasn\u2019t affected by the airspace closure.<\/p>\n

Do\u00f1a Ana County officials weren\u2019t just joking around: they traded emails about how the flight restrictions would affect medical transports.<\/p>\n

Very early in the morning on Feb. 11, Naegele sent<\/a> the text group an intelligence assessment from a Department of Homeland Security field intelligence officer labeled \u201cunclassified\/for official use only,\u201d citing the FAA, TSA and \u201cmultiple\u201d open sources. Someone at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had provided it.<\/p>\n

The message said that the federal government was \u201ctracking ongoing efforts to counter potential\u201d unmanned aircraft systems \u201cemanating from Mexico.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FAA assesses that they have operated exclusively for surveillance or smuggling and are not tracking any weaponized systems at this time, but are operating without permission and in violation of U.S. airspace sovereignty,\u201d the intelligence assessment read. \u201cIn coordination with the [Department of Defense], FAA is ensuring the safety of civil air operations in the National Air Space, should the military look to interdict the drones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paris, the airport assistant director of aviation operations and security, responded<\/a>: \u201cMaybe now we can get more funding.\u201d Three colleagues punctuated his message with laugh\/cry and thumbs-up emojis.<\/p>\n

More than 20 people named in these messages and contacted by NOTUS either did not respond to messages or declined to comment on their exchanges. Several individuals who appeared in the messages are only identified by their first names or initials, and their identities could not otherwise be confirmed.<\/p>\n

Nevarez and Rao confirmed the validity of messages in which they were named but declined further comment. Naegele referred questions to the city\u2019s public information office. City of El Paso spokesperson Laura Cruz-Acosta also declined comment, referring NOTUS to statements<\/a> Mayor Renard Johnson made during a press conference on Feb. 11.<\/p>\n

At that time, Johnson said: \u201cYou cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, the hospitals, the community leadership. That failure to communicate is unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FAA lifted the El Paso airspace restrictions at 7 a.m. on Feb. 11. In their messages to one another, local officials continued to express uncertainty about what truly caused the flight restrictions or why federal officials initially indicated the airspace would be closed for days, not hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been up all night trying to get information to share with the public, but we\u2019re just not getting<\/p>\n

much from the federal government at the moment,\u201d Chris Canales, an El Paso city representative, wrote<\/a> in text for a social media post.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that we were given no advanced notice and had to divert critical medical, cargo, and passenger aircrafts shows the lack of respect and concern from the federal government towards the people of El Paso,\u201d Josh Acevedo, an El Paso city representative, wrote in a statement<\/a>, describing the result as \u201cpandemonium.\u201d \u201cThis unacceptable order by the federal government put lives at risk and threatened the stability of our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some airport officials did their best to maintain a sense of humor amid the tumult.<\/p>\n

Shane Brooks, an assistant director of aviation development, sent<\/a> Paris a cartoon of a walkie-talkie brandishing bunny rabbit, remaking, \u201cWTF, OVER,\u201d along with the message, \u201cAll of airport staff today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHahahaha yup,\u201d Paris replied.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"El<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we stop with the \u2019this is unprecedented\u2019 shtuff for a while? Can\u2019t we just be normal,\u201d Nevarez lamented<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s only February.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several emails and text messages obtained by NOTUS also contained grace or praise for officials for their handling of the shutdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey bro \u2026 just wanted to let you know I prayed for you this morning amid what I\u2019m sure was all the chaos of the airport stuff. And I\u2019m continuing to pray for you as you guys are trying to get things back on track,\u201d a man named \u201cRicky\u201d wrote<\/a> to an unidentified airport official.<\/p>\n

As Feb. 11 went on, flight traffic resumed. Only later that day would news break that the FAA closed the El Paso-area airspace when, according to<\/a> The Associated Press, the Department of Defense allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser against suspected drones originating in Mexico.<\/p>\n

One problem: the obliterated drones weren\u2019t drones. They were<\/a> wayward party balloons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Department of Defense, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the FAA did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

By the week\u2019s end, the El Paso International Airport was back up to speed and fully operational.<\/p>\n

But other, related challenges loomed. On Feb. 13, Alejandra Gorski, El Paso\u2019s federal affairs legislative liaison, emailed<\/a> the mayor and City Council to warn that a then-pending partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security would require TSA officials, among others, to work without pay.<\/p>\n

Moreover, \u201cnon-essential support functions (IT, facility maintenance) may be furloughed, which may impact system maintenance and administrative processing. We are exploring what this means for trade processing, permitting, and federal grant reimbursements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, on Feb. 26, it happened again: another airspace closure along the Texas-Mexico border.<\/p>\n

This time, the FAA shut down airspace near the town of Fort Hancock, Texas, after soldiers fired a laser at what it considered to be a threatening drone, according to<\/a> The New York Times.<\/p>\n

The drone belonged not to a Mexican drug cartel, but rather, to Customs and Border Protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the night of Feb. 10, Curtis Dowling, a local Federal Aviation Administration air traffic manager, texted an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":188254,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[138,140,139],"class_list":["post-188253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-el-paso","tag-el-paso","tag-el-paso-headlines","tag-el-paso-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}