CBP Personnel — Not U.S. Troops — Used Military Laser to Shoot Object Near El Paso

Why It Matters

The CBP use of military anti‑drone technology raises oversight and civil‑aviation coordination concerns at the U.S.–Mexico border, while the IRS personnel reassignments could affect service quality and employee morale during a critical filing period.

Summary

Customs and Border Protection personnel — not U.S. troops — used a military counter‑drone laser to shoot down an object near El Paso, Texas, after the Defense Department transferred the system to CBP with Defense Secretary approval. Troops with Joint Task Force Southern Border were reportedly not authorized to engage drones, prompting interagency friction with the FAA and a short‑lived flight restriction near El Paso International Airport. Separately, the IRS has involuntarily detailed employees with no direct tax experience to taxpayer services roles for the filing season, assigning 120‑day rotations that could be extended while managers receive weeks of instructor‑led training. Both moves reflect rapid operational shifts inside agencies handling sensitive security and public‑facing missions.

Original Description

U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel — not American service members — shot down an object with a military laser earlier this week near El Paso, Texas, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation. Troops with Joint Task Force – Southern Border were not authorized to shoot down drones in the area. The task force — which works hand-in-hand with federal law enforcement and serves as the primary military entity for the U.S.-Mexico border mission — trained CBP personnel on the equipment who used it during the incursion. A source familiar told DefenseScoop that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved the transfer of a military counter-drone system to CBP.

The Internal Revenue Service moved forward this week with plans to involuntarily move employees with no direct tax experience to perform customer service and analysis duties for this year’s filing season. According to email notices obtained by FedScoop, multiple IRS employees from the agency’s IT and human capital office were informed Monday that they were assigned to a 120-day involuntary detail to the agency’s Taxpayer Services division, as either a customer service representative or a tax examiner. The detail, effective Feb. 22, could be extended beyond the four-month period, per the notice.

Articles Mentioned

• Customs and Border Protection personnel — not U.S. troops — used military laser to shoot object near El Paso via DefenseScoop: https://defensescoop.com/2026/02/11/el-paso-drone-incursion-military-laser-cbp-faa/

• IRS moves operations employees to tax services for filing season amid workforce cuts via FedScoop: https://fedscoop.com/internal-revenue-services-technology-irs-tax-filing-treasury-watchdog-workforce-taxes-season/

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