El Paso mayor still hasn’t heard from Trump administration on airspace closure
Thursday, February 12, 2026
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El Paso's airspace was shut down for 10 days due to a drone, with Mayor Johnson stating "it just doesn't make sense" and criticizing the lack of coordination with the city's emergency operation center, saying "we haven't heard any good reasons why they didn't coordinate with us".
The shutdown caused significant disruption, with Mayor Johnson reporting "kids were afraid to go to school" and "parents were calling" due to the uncertainty, and comparing it to shutting down airports in major cities like Dallas, Houston, or New York without notice or explanation.
As of Thursday, Mayor Johnson's office still hadn't received any information from the FAA, relying on media reports for updates, with the mayor emphasizing "we don't know anything more today than we knew yesterday" and demanding accountability for the unprecedented closure.
