In The News 11 February 2026

Airspace around El Paso reopened following abrupt closure

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

All flights in and out of El Paso, Texas, have resumed after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights, issuing a no-fly zone in the region late Tuesday evening.

The FAA initially imposed a 10-day flight restriction, citing security reasons, effective until 11:30 p.m. Feb. 20. The restrictions indicated that flights in the airspace must maintain an altitude of at least 18,000 feet.

Multiple reports indicate Mexican cartel drones had entered U.S. airspace, with the Department of War acting to neutralize potential threats.

In addition to El Paso, airspace south of Las Cruces, N.M., and Santa Teresa, which borders Mexico, were also closed.

Despite El Paso and Santa Teresa bordering Mexico, the airspace across the border remained open throughout the ordeal.

The incident could reignite threats made by President Donald Trump last month that he is considering carrying out strikes against cartels in Mexico.

During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump made the announcement, with plans to target Mexican drug cartels.

“We are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico,” the president told Hannity. “It’s very, very sad to watch and see what’s happened to that country, but the cartels are running and they’re killing 300,000 people in our country every single year.”

Trump touted his war on drugs, saying his administration has “knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water.”

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