Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem abruptly shut down a news conference Friday after being pressed about reports that Border Patrol officials may have mistakenly targeted party balloons with a high-energy laser, triggering a brief airspace shutdown over El Paso, Texas.
The moment came during a press conference in Phoenix, where a reporter asked Noem to clarify why the Federal Aviation Administration had abruptly closed the airspace over El Paso earlier this week – a decision that was reversed just eight hours later with little explanation.
When the subject came up on Friday, Noem declined to answer directly.
“This was a joint agency task force mission that was undertaken, and we're continuing to work on the communication through that,” Noem said. “But recognize we’re grateful for the partnership of the Department of War and the FAA as we go forward. Thank you.”
As the reporter attempted to follow up, Noem immediately cut off the exchange.
“All right, thanks everybody," she said, abruptly ending the news conference before additional questions could be asked.
According to multiple reports, the closure followed a test by Customs and Border Protection at nearby Fort Bliss of a high-energy laser against suspected foreign drones, which turned out to be party balloons.
Officials from the FAA and the Pentagon are scheduled to meet on Feb. 20 to discuss the technology and its potential risk to civilian aircraft.
