Carin Zissis Talks to t-online about the Recent Airspace Closure at El Paso

Mexican officials were alarmed when they learned last Wednesday that the airspace over the U.S. border city of El Paso had been closed overnight. Only earlier this year, the White House had declared the skies over Caracas a no-fly zone shortly before the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro by U.S. special forces.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained on X that "cartel drones" had entered U.S. airspace and were taken out. "The threat has been neutralized." A few days later, reports surfaced casting significant doubt on this version of events. According to these reports, the Border Patrol (CBP) had tested an anti-drone laser at the border with the permission of the Department of Defense.

Citing government sources, The New York Times and others reported that the laser was used without coordination with the aviation authorities (FAA) against a suspected drone, which later turned out to be a party balloon.

Even if the El Paso incident did not involve cartel drones, it brings into focus a security debate currently straining relations between the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. Department of Defense and Border Patrol have long warned of a growing threat from drones used to smuggle drugs and conduct surveillance on border security. [...]

“I don’t believe this one incident will tip the scales. But it has brought concerns about drones into sharp focus,” says Carin Zissis, editor-in-chief of Council of the Americas (AS/COA Online), a U.S. business organization specializing in U.S.-Mexico relations. "It further inflames the atmosphere," Zissis noted, and could be one of several factors contributing to Trump following through on his announcement...

This article excerpt has been translated from German.

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