Democratic members of Congress have expressed outrage after the US military used a laser to shoot down a drone near the US-Mexico border in Texas, which later turned out to belong to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The incident, which occurred on Thursday, led to the closure of airspace around Fort Hancock, marking the second time in two weeks that air traffic was disrupted due to a mistaken laser strike.
Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly shut down airspace over El Paso for 10 days, only to lift the order eight hours later. It was later revealed that CBP had deployed a laser against what was thought to be a Mexican drug cartel drone but was actually a party balloon.
Top Democrats, including US representatives Rick Larsen, Bennie Thompson, and André Carson, said they were 'livid' about the lack of coordination within the Trump administration. They accused the administration of 'sidestepping' a bipartisan bill that would have improved training and coordination between the FAA, Pentagon, and CBP. 'Now we’re seeing the results of its incompetence,' they said.
Senator Tammy Duckworth, the ranking Democrat on the Senate aviation subcommittee, called for an independent investigation into both incidents. 'The Trump administration’s incompetence continues to cause chaos in our skies,' she said.
The Pentagon said the laser-based anti-drone system was activated 'far away from populated areas' against a 'seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system'. However, the FAA is pressing for a safety review of the technology, while the Pentagon and CBP have indicated they believe they can use the systems without consulting the FAA in advance.
