Revealed: 'Mass confusion' gripped staff amid Trump admin’s botched airspace closure

Troves of messages between staffers and officials obtained by NOTUS have revealed the chaos and "mass confusion" that resulted from the Trump administration's botched decision to shutter airspace over El Paso.

Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration, suddenly and with little reasoning at the time, closed the airspace over El Paso, claiming that it would initially last 11 days, a timeline that would have caused immense disruptions. As the news made headlines nationwide and had politicians asking questions, however, the shutdown was lifted after only eight hours. Reports later suggested that the military officials had been testing a laser-based weapon and accidentally shot down a party balloon misidentified as a cartel drone, prompting the shutdown.

On Tuesday, NOTUS released a new report on the situation based on "nearly 100 text messages, group chat logs and emails" obtained via public information requests in Texas and New Mexico. The messages paint a picture of prolonged confusion, as air traffic managers and airport officials struggled to grasp what was happening, especially as news media and politicians began reaching out with questions.

“Insane,” Tony Nevarez, the El Paso airport’s director of aviation, said in a text shortly after learning of the closure. Other messages saw staffers call the situation "wild" and "crazy," with one remarking, "Damn. I’ve called everyone. No one knows nothing."

Officials struggled with the lack of information, unsure whether to contact local military bases for clarification or to wait and see if the decision was an error that would soon be lifted. Shawn Naegele, an El Paso Airport security manager, ultimately concluded that government officials were unlikely to tell them anything about what was happening.

“Going to be a lot of angry people at the terminal tomorrow morning,” Nick Judd, an El Paso airport operations official, told Nevarez.

"Affirm," Nevarez said, later adding, "It’s going to be a long night."

NOTUS reported that there was particular urgency surrounding the coordination with the many companies — including Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and the several other commercial and cargo carriers — that relied on access to the El Paso International Airport. Nevarez was also at one point contacted by a representative from Blue Origin, the space travel company founded by Jeff Bezos.

“What ended up happening today at the airport? Or is it top secret?” the representative, identified as "Marty," asked.

“Can we stop with the ‘this is unprecedented’ shtuff for a while? Can’t we just be normal?” Nevarez said in a message following the ordeal. “It’s only February.”

When pressed for comment by NOTUS, the office of El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson directed the outlet to prior statements he made after the incident.

“You cannot restrict airspace over a major city without coordinating with the city, the airport, the hospitals, the community leadership. That failure to communicate is unacceptable," Renard said.

“The fact that we were given no advanced notice and had to divert critical medical, cargo, and passenger aircrafts shows the lack of respect and concern from the federal government towards the people of El Paso,” Josh Acevedo, an El Paso city representative, added in their own statement following the closure.

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