Pentagon Neutralizes Mexican Cartel Drones Over El Paso

Authorities reopened El Paso International Airport after the Pentagon neutralized Mexican drug cartel drones that breached USA airspace on Wednesday morning. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed that the military disabled the unmanned aircraft following an abrupt eight-hour grounding of all commercial and cargo flights. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Representative Veronica Escobar questioned the incident after local officials received almost no warning regarding the security threat.The Federal Aviation Administration initially issued a ten-day closure notice for the region before determining that civilian flight safety was no longer at risk. Operations resumed for major carriers like Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines which serve nearly 3.5 million annual passengers at the Texas hub. Reports suggest the military may have utilized directed energy or electronic warfare to disable the drones during the unprecedented border security operation.While the White House linked the event to cartel activity, some sources suggested the closure was related to testing anti-drone technology under an executive order from Donald Trump. Mayor Renard Johnson criticized the lack of coordination with city leadership as even medical evacuation flights were prohibited during the airspace suspension. The Pentagon continues to explore low-cost methods to counter small drone incursions that have increasingly challenged Western security borders.