The US intercepts Mexican drug marches and closes El Paso airport
In a significant security development that casts a shadow over the future of border relations between the United States and Mexico, Washington officially announced on Wednesday the detection and interception of drones belonging to Mexican drug cartels after they violated US airspace. This incident was not a routine incursion, but rather prompted direct military intervention and led to the sudden closure of El Paso International Airport in Texas, sparking widespread controversy and conflicting official accounts.
Details of the incident and the federal response
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that it was forced to close the airspace over the border city of El Paso to all types of civilian and commercial flights on Tuesday evening. Although the initial notice indicated a closure that could last up to 10 days for what it described as "security" reasons, authorities lifted the ban less than 24 hours later. In this context, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated via the "X" platform that the FAA, in cooperation with the Department of Defense (the Pentagon), acted swiftly to neutralize the threat, confirming that the drug cartel drones had been thwarted and that there was no current risk to commercial air travel.
Conflicting accounts: Mexican denial and internal skepticism
On the other side of the border, the response from the highest levels of power in Mexico was swift. During her regular press conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied that her government had any information about the use of drones to cross the border at that time, and confirmed that an investigation had been launched to understand the circumstances surrounding the US decision to close the airport. This Mexican denial coincided with skepticism from US lawmakers and local media regarding the Trump administration's account. Democratic members of the House Transportation Committee suggested that the "threat" might have stemmed from internal US military activity or tests of anti-drone systems, pointing to provisions in defense legislation that grant the military considerable flexibility in dealing with airspace, which could explain the sudden closure without a genuine external threat.
Security and geopolitical context: Drone warfare
This incident gains significance from its timing and political context; it coincides with the five-month anniversary of the United States launching an intensive military campaign targeting maritime smuggling vessels. Security experts indicate that the cartels' shift to using drones represents a qualitative change in smuggling and surveillance tactics, posing new challenges to U.S. border security.
Furthermore, observers believe that the announcement of this infiltration could provide US President Donald Trump with the necessary political and legal justification to proceed with his hardline policies toward Mexico. Trump has long threatened to designate the cartels as terrorist organizations or launch military strikes inside Mexican territory to dismantle drug labs, and the "marches" incident lends credibility to these threats in the eyes of the American public, raising the prospect of escalating diplomatic and security tensions between the two neighbors in the near future.
