Congress Criticizes Lack of Coordination in Counter-Drone Operations

According to congressional aides and US lawmakers, a US Customs and Border Protection drone mistakenly shot down a US military laser-based counter-drone system near Fort Hancock, Texas. This incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to expand flight restrictions along the US-Mexico border. AeroTime reports that the FAA issued an expanded temporary flight restriction around Fort Hancock for ‘special security reasons.’ Democratic Representatives Rick Larsen, Bennie Thompson, and André Carson criticized the lack of coordination among government agencies, while Senator Tammy Duckworth called for inspectors general to investigate both the shootdown and earlier airspace disruptions in the region. The incident follows a separate airspace disruption around El Paso earlier in February 2026, when the FAA briefly imposed sweeping restrictions.