The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefly shut down airspace over El Paso, Texas, late Tuesday, a move that surprised local officials and disrupted travelers. The shutdown, lifted less than eight hours later, prompted questions about the reasons behind the drastic action, with the Trump administration citing potential incursions by Mexican cartel drones, while others offered alternative explanations.
The FAA halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport for a 10-day period, encompassing a 10-mile area around El Paso and including the neighboring community of Santa Teresa, New Mexico, according to the New York Times. The order came without warning at 11:30 p.m. local time.
While the Trump administration attributed the shutdown to Mexican cartel drones breaching U.S. airspace, others disputed this explanation. Two people briefed by administration officials said the shutdown had been prompted by the Defense Department's use of new counter-drone technology and concerns about the risks it could pose to other aircraft, the New York Times reported.
This incident occurred as local officials across the United States grapple with the growing threat from cheaper versions of drones. The New York Police Department (NYPD) urged the Trump administration to grant it the authority to take down drones in the city's skies. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department has the authority to detect drones but cannot electronically disable them, according to the New York Times.
In other news, Virginia Democrats backed down from legislation that could have revoked state funding for the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) amid criticism from the Trump administration, VMI cadets, and lawmakers in Congress, according to Fox News. The original bill proposed a task force that could revoke state funding for the school. After scrutiny, an amended bill passed the Virginia House last Thursday that no longer grants that authority. Senior cadet leaders told Fox News Digital that VMI's culture promotes unity, leadership, and service, disputing claims that racism and sexism remain entrenched at the school.
Additionally, agency heads operating under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned a shutdown could cripple U.S. readiness across half a dozen areas as the agency looked poised to enter a funding lapse over Democrats' demands to reform immigration enforcement operations, Fox News reported. Five agency leaders delivered that message before the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday.
Finally, a longtime federal prosecutor who left the U.S. attorneys office in Minnesota last month amid resignations linked to concerns over the Trump administration's handling of anti-ICE agitators joined former CNN anchor Don Lemon's defense team, according to court filings reported by Fox News. Joseph H. Thompson, a former senior leader in the Minnesota U.S. attorneys office, will now defend Lemon alongside Abbe Lowell, bringing firsthand experience from the same federal district prosecuting the case.
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