Cartel Drones Spark Tension Over Airspace

A sudden stop of flights at El Paso airport last night made clear how much cartels rely on cheap drones. The closure was blamed by U. S. officials on a drone that entered U. S. airspace from Mexico, but other sources say the real reason was a nearby test of a laser‑based anti‑drone system that could threaten pilots. Cartels have been using off‑the‑shelf drones for over ten years to drop drugs or spy on border patrol, and in some parts of Mexico they even attach homemade bombs to the machines. In 2024, experts report more than a thousand drone intrusions each month along the U. S. –Mexico line, yet there is no evidence that a cartel has ever attacked U. S. soil or its officers with a drone.The incident has fueled accusations that the U. S. might use military force against Mexican drug groups, a claim Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum strongly rejects as an invasion. Sheinbaum warns that any unilateral U. S. action would violate Mexican sovereignty, recalling the historic war over 170 years ago. U. S. and Mexican authorities have begun joint meetings to tackle the growing drone threat, but doubts remain over whether the El Paso shutdown was a safety measure or a political signal. Some analysts say the story is being used to justify future military moves, while others argue it merely highlights an emerging security challenge that needs cooperation rather than confrontation.