Autonomous weapons

Military Shoots Down Border Patrol Drone Over Texas

Was the drone incident due to Pentagon incompetence or Border Patrol's coordination failure?

Published FEB 27

Military Shoots Down Border Patrol Drone Over Texas

Story

Above: U.S. military members monitor and install barbed wire fences along the Rio Grande River following the suspension of flights in El Paso, Texas on Feb. 11 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Image credit: Christian Torres/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Facts

The U.S. military shot down a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone near Fort Hancock, Texas, using a counter-unmanned aircraft system on Wednesday. The incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand temporary flight restrictions in the area.
Breitbart
CNN
A joint statement by the FAA, CBP and Defense Department (DOD) released on Thursday said that the military "employed counter-drone authorities to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace." This happened far from populated areas and the FAA said commercial flights were not affected by the subsequent restrictions.
FOX News
Axios
CBS News
The incident occurred about two weeks after an anti-drone laser was deployed near El Paso, which prompted the FAA to temporarily shut down airspace over the city — initially set for 10 days, though later reduced to around eight hours.
The New York Times
The Washington Examiner
Senator Tammy Duckworth called for inspectors general at the DOD, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation to launch a joint probe into the incidents.
ABC News
The Washington Times
StratNews Global
The agencies stated they are working together at President Donald Trump's direction to mitigate drone threats by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations at the U.S.-Mexico border.
New York Post
CBS News
The Hill

Sources Split

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RIGHT

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CRIT

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The Spin

Narrative A

The Pentagon's reckless deployment of high-energy lasers has turned into a taxpayer-funded disaster, with military operators shooting down America's own Border Patrol drone after mistaking it for a threat. This dangerous incompetence follows the same laser system blasting harmless party balloons and forcing FAA airspace shutdowns, proving the Trump administration bypassed coordination laws and unleashed high-risk weapons without proper protocols. The repeated friendly-fire incidents waste resources while actual cartel threats go unchecked.

Compound Interest Enjoyer on X

JAS on X

Narrative B

Border Patrol failed basic coordination by flying a drone into a sensitive military zone without notifying Pentagon operators who were actively defending against unknown aerial threats. The military personnel operating counter-drone systems deserve credit for staying vigilant and executing their mission exactly as trained when an unidentified aircraft entered restricted airspace. Proper interagency communication would have prevented this incident entirely, making it a CBP coordination failure rather than a Pentagon mistake.