The Federal Aviation Administration restricted flights Thursday near Fort Hancock, Texas, after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection drone was reportedly shot down by a laser system operated by the Pentagon.
Federal agencies confirmed a counter-unmanned aircraft system engaged a drone within military airspace, though officials have not publicly identified the specific owner of the aircraft.
What the Right Is Saying
In a joint statement provided to Fox News Digital, the Pentagon, CBP and the FAA said the DoD used counter-unmanned aircraft system to respond to a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace.
The departments said the engagement took place far away from populated areas and there were no commercial aircraft in the vicinity, adding they will continue to work on increased cooperation and communication to prevent such incidents in the future.
The departments said they are working together in an unprecedented fashion to mitigate drone threats by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations at the U.S.-Mexico border.
What the Left Is Saying
Top Democrats on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a joint statement Thursday evening claiming the drone belonged to CBP.
U.S. Reps. Rick Larsen, Bennie Thompson and Andre Carson said their heads are exploding over the news that a CBP drone was shot down by the Pentagon with a high risk counter-unmanned aircraft system.
The legislators added that this incident is the result of the White House incompetence after a short-sighted decision to sidestep a bipartisan, tri-committee bill to appropriately train C-UAS operators and address the lack of coordination between the Pentagon, DHS and the FAA.
What the Numbers Show
The FAA told Fox News Digital that a temporary flight restriction was already in place around the Fort Hancock area and that the TFR has been expanded to include a greater radius to ensure safety.
The restriction does not impact commercial flights, the agency said, and comes a couple of weeks after the FAA grounded flights to and from El Paso International Airport for 10 days before lifting the order roughly eight hours later.
The Bottom Line
The incident highlights ongoing coordination challenges between federal agencies managing border security and civilian airspace safety.
Officials state they are working on increased cooperation to prevent future incidents while maintaining security against cartel and terrorist drone threats.