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The US military accidentally shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a laser-based counter-drone system, resulting in temporary airspace restrictions in Texas.

Getting into it: According to Democratic lawmakers, the incident took place near Fort Hancock, Texas, where the Pentagon reportedly used what they described as a “high-risk counter-unmanned aircraft system” to bring down a CBP-operated drone. “Our heads are exploding over the news that DoD reportedly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a high risk counter-unmanned aircraft system,” Reps. Rick Larsen, Bennie Thompson and André Carson said in a joint statement. The lawmakers added, “We said MONTHS ago that the White House’s decision to sidestep a bipartisan, tri-committee bill to appropriately train C-UAS operators and address the lack of coordination between the Pentagon, DHS and the FAA was a short-sighted idea. Now, we’re seeing the result of its incompetence.”

In a joint statement, the Pentagon, CBP and the FAA confirmed that an “engagement occurred,” explaining that the Department of Defense “employed counter-unmanned aircraft system authorities to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace.” The agencies stressed that “the engagement took place far away from populated areas and there were no commercial aircraft in the vicinity,” and said they would continue “increased cooperation and communication to prevent such incidents in the future.”

The Federal Aviation Administration expanded a temporary flight restriction over the Fort Hancock area for what it described as “special security reasons,” later clarifying that the restriction “does not impact commercial flights.”

The shootdown follows a similar episode earlier this month near El Paso, when a laser-based counter-drone system was deployed near Fort Bliss, prompting the FAA to temporarily shut down surrounding airspace. That earlier incident, which officials later suggested may have involved a balloon rather than a hostile drone, led to intense scrutiny over coordination between federal agencies.