EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS STORY APPEARS TO BE CHANGING RAPIDLY. UPDATES TO FOLLOW.

The skies over El Paso have gone silent — and Washington isn’t taking any chances.

In a dramatic move that has stunned aviation watchers, the Federal Aviation Administration has halted all flights in and out of El Paso International Airport for 10 days, warning that the U.S. government “may use deadly force” against any aircraft that violates the order and poses “an imminent security threat.”

Commercial jets, cargo planes, private aircraft — grounded. The sweeping restriction began at 11:30 p.m. MST on February 10 and runs through 11:30 p.m. MST on February 20. The lockdown stretches beyond El Paso itself, blanketing nearby Santa Teresa, New Mexico in the same no-fly zone.

The FAA offered only a vague explanation, citing “special security reasons,” without spelling out the details. In today’s volatile world, that kind of language signals something serious.

The airport confirmed the shutdown in a public notice, advising, “Travelers should contact their airlines to get the most up-to-date flight status information.”

That’s cold comfort for passengers left scrambling — and for a border region that suddenly finds its airspace under extraordinary federal control.

Even seasoned aviation professionals are calling this extraordinary.

Former FAA safety team member Kyle Bailey told Fox News the 10-day blanket restriction is “unprecedented.” That’s not a word tossed around lightly in federal aviation circles.

Bailey pointed to a major clue: El Paso’s proximity to Fort Bliss, one of the Army’s most significant installations.

“It’s definitely something like a national security event, a high-level VIP,” Bailey speculated, “but the interesting thing is that on the Mexican side of the border there is no flight restriction.”

That detail is hard to ignore. If this were a broad regional threat, wouldn’t airspace restrictions extend across the border as well?

Bailey went further, suggesting the scale of the shutdown hints at something far bigger than routine security protocol.

“I think it’s safe to say that it’s something very big, either from a national security standpoint or perhaps testing something — equipment or something going into the air around the vicinity of those bases,” he added.

El Paso sits at a critical crossroads — a border city, a military hub, and a strategic location in a world where threats can emerge quickly. When federal authorities shut down an entire airport and warn they “may use deadly force,” Americans should understand: this is not bureaucratic box-checking.

UPDATE 2/11/26 at 9:15AM

“The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal,” the FAA announced.

🚨Update: A source briefed by FAA tells us the El Paso flight ban was driven by Narco military operations from Biggs Army Air Field at Fort Bliss, Texas! The FAA acted after the War Department could not assure civilian flight safety during combat operations near and in Mexico!! pic.twitter.com/Ru0sQ3EJ17

— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) February 11, 2026