“Our Heads Are Exploding”: Pentagon Accidentally Shoots Down CBP Drone with Laser

The U.S. military accidentally shot down a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone near the Texas-Mexico border on Thursday night, February 26, 2026. The friendly-fire incident, which involved a high-energy anti-drone laser, has sparked outrage among lawmakers and forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to once again close airspace in the El Paso region.
The Fort Hancock Mishap
According to congressional aides and statements from federal officials, the Department of Defense deployed a “high risk” counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) near Fort Hancock, Texas—about 50 miles southeast of El Paso. Instead of targeting the cartel drones that frequently operate in the area, the military’s laser system engaged and destroyed a U.S. government surveillance drone operated by the CBP.
In response to the shoot-down, the FAA immediately expanded a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) for “special security reasons” around the Fort Hancock area. While the restriction extends until late June, officials noted that the zone is far enough from El Paso International Airport that commercial flights are not currently affected.
Lawmakers Slam Interagency “Incompetence”
The accidental shoot-down has drawn furious condemnation from Capitol Hill. Top Democrats on the House Transportation and Homeland Security committees—Representatives Rick Larsen, Bennie Thompson, and André Carson—released a scathing joint statement after being briefed on the mishap.
“Our heads are exploding over the news that DoD reportedly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone,” the lawmakers wrote. They blamed the Trump administration for deliberately sidestepping a bipartisan bill designed to appropriately train C-UAS operators and fix severe communication breakdowns between the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the FAA. “Now, we’re seeing the result of its incompetence,” the statement read.
A Pattern of Border Security Blunders
Thursday’s incident marks the second time in just two weeks that uncoordinated military anti-drone operations have caused chaos in Texas skies. On February 11, the FAA abruptly shut down all air traffic at El Paso International Airport after an anti-drone laser was fired without proper interagency notification.
While Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy initially claimed the February 11 incident successfully neutralized a “cartel drone incursion,” subsequent reports revealed that the military had actually shot down a civilian party balloon. The repeated miscommunications highlight severe operational disconnects as federal agencies scramble to address the genuine, everyday threat of cartel drone surveillance along the southern border.