The US military used a laser in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas this week to shoot down three Mexican drug cartel drones near the border with Mexico, Reuters reports.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) said the operation was carried out late Tuesday and early Wednesday and used the Army's Multipurpose High Energy Laser system.
The military did not specify the exact location of the strikes or whether they were carried out over US or Mexican territory. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that any unilateral US operation on Mexican territory would be a serious violation of her country's sovereignty.
The military said the drones posed a "physical threat" for U.S. military and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel.
"Cartel networks are increasingly using drones to facilitate the illegal movement of people across the border and to actively spy on our personnel and our law enforcement partners," said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of Joint Task Force Southern Border.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration steps up its crackdown on illegal immigration and drug cartels, fulfilling promises from his 2024 presidential campaign.
Since its inception in 2025, the task force has conducted tens of thousands of detection and surveillance patrols and thousands of reconnaissance flights.
The military did not identify the manufacturer of the laser system.
AeroVironment Inc. delivered its first two multi-purpose high-energy laser systems to the US Army last summer. The U.S. military has previously deployed AeroVironment's LOCUST system.
The use of the system led to a seven-hour airspace closure in the El Paso International Airport area of Texas earlier this year.
In February, the U.S. military mistakenly shot down a U.S. government drone using a laser-based anti-drone system.
U.S. security officials have expressed concern about the use of drones by Mexican cartels, who often use heavily modified models purchased commercially to drop drug packages or monitor trafficking routes.
In some parts of Mexico, further from the U.S. border, cartels have used drones to drop explosives in deadly attacks.
U.S. and Mexican authorities are working together to counter the growing use of drones in the border region.