I’m a bright-red party balloon from the greater El Paso area in Texas, and I have deep concerns for myself and my extended mylar family in the wake of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials’ unconscionable use of an anti-drone laser on a member of the party balloon community.
In case you missed it, the airspace over El Paso was suddenly shut down Feb. 10 without explanation, creating chaos and widespread confusion throughout El Paso County. The closure was initially blamed on an “incursion” of drones controlled by Mexican drug cartels. But news reports since then found the closure stemmed from immigration officials in the area using a high-powered anti-drone laser without first coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration.
That drone’s target? As The New York Times reported, citing officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity: “C.B.P. officials thought they were firing on a cartel drone, the people said, but it turned out to be a party balloon.”…