On Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, the U.S. military used a high-energy laser to shoot down a drone near the Texas border, according to members of Congress. The drone belonged to Customs and Border Protection, another arm of the same government.

Rep. Rick Larsen and other senior Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said they were notified through official channels that the Defense Department had reportedly downed a CBP drone using a high-risk counter-drone system. They blamed poor coordination among the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security and the FAA, and criticized the White House for passing over a bipartisan bill on training counter-drone operators. The committee posted online that members’ heads were exploding.

The FAA responded by expanding its airspace closure around Fort Hancock, about 50 miles southeast of El Paso, without further explanation. This time commercial flights at El Paso’s airport weren’t affected.

It was the second laser incident in the area in just over two weeks. On Feb. 10, the FAA had abruptly shut El Paso’s airspace after the Pentagon let CBP fire a counter-drone laser that reportedly hit a mylar party balloon. Both incidents came amid a push to use lasers against drones operated by Mexican cartels along the border.

The Pentagon and the Transportation Department referred questions to the FAA. CBP didn’t respond.