Congressman Blasts FAA Over Abrupt El Paso Airspace Closure

Rep. Gabe Vasquez says there was no clear security threat behind the temporary airspace restriction that disrupted medevac flights.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Southern New Mexico Congressman Gabe Vasquez criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for the abrupt closure of airspace over El Paso, Texas and southern New Mexico, saying there was no evidence of a national security emergency justifying the temporary restriction. The FAA initially cited an incursion of drones connected to Mexican criminal organizations, but later accounts pointed to a Pentagon decision to test high-energy laser weapons against drones. Vasquez said the conflicting explanations from federal agencies were concerning and could have had serious impacts on border communities and medical flights.

Why it matters

The airspace closure over the El Paso-Santa Teresa region raised questions about transparency and coordination between federal agencies, as well as the potential impacts on border communities and critical emergency medical services. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about drone activity along the U.S.-Mexico border and the government's response.

The details

The FAA abruptly closed airspace to regular flight activity for a 10-mile radius and about 18,000 feet over El Paso and southern New Mexico for 10 days on Wednesday morning, before lifting the restriction after a few hours. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the Pentagon and White House officials initially said the closure was due to an incursion of drones connected to Mexican criminal organizations, requiring an emergency response. However, reports later indicated the closure may have been related to the Pentagon testing high-energy laser weapons against drones.

  • On Wednesday morning, the FAA closed the airspace over El Paso and southern New Mexico.
  • The FAA lifted the airspace restriction after a few hours.

The players

Gabe Vasquez

A Democratic Congressman serving his second term and representing southern New Mexico.

Veronica Escobar

A Democratic Congresswoman whose district includes El Paso, Texas.

Martin Heinrich

A Democratic U.S. Senator from New Mexico.

Ben Ray Luján

A Democratic U.S. Senator from New Mexico.

Sean Duffy

The U.S. Transportation Secretary.

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What they’re saying

“Miscommunication at the highest level caused the FAA to make this very rash decision, that would have had great impacts on our border economy, on local residents, on medical flights, and so much more.”

— Gabe Vasquez, Congressman (abqjournal.com)

“I believe the FAA owes the community and the country an explanation as to why this happened so suddenly and abruptly, and was lifted so suddenly and abruptly.”

— Veronica Escobar, Congresswoman (abqjournal.com)

“The airspace was closed to medical transport, and that means anybody potentially in the early morning hours today that needed medical transport from Las Cruces to El Paso would not have been able to enter into that airspace. This could have grave implications for communities like Deming, Lordsburg, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, all who rely on medevac capability out to the El Paso area for trauma care.”

— Gabe Vasquez, Congressman (abqjournal.com)

What’s next

Vasquez, along with Escobar and Senators Heinrich and Luján, are seeking a closed-door briefing with the Department of Defense and the FAA to get to the bottom of what happened and how the agencies coordinated the airspace closure.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the need for greater transparency and coordination between federal agencies when making decisions that could significantly impact border communities and critical emergency services. It also raises questions about the government's response to drone activity along the U.S.-Mexico border.