Texas DPS warns about fake El Paso road closure memo

article

EL PASO, Texas - The Texas Department of Public Safety issued an urgent warning Wednesday regarding a fraudulent memo circulating online that falsely claims major highways in the El Paso area will be closed for 10 days.

Roads closed in El Paso rumor debunked

What we know:

The department clarified that no road closures are planned and that all major highways in and out of the region remain open.

"This is a fake memo," the department said in a statement. "DPS is NOT closing the major highways — or any roads — in or out of the area over the next 10 days."

The warning comes amid widespread confusion following a separate, verified order from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Late Tuesday, the FAA abruptly issued a 10-day temporary flight restriction (TFR) grounding all commercial, cargo, and general aviation flights at El Paso International Airport through Feb. 20.

El Paso flight restriction lifted

What we know:

While the flight restrictions were officially cited for "special security reasons," the DPS emphasized that these measures do not extend to ground transportation. State officials said it is currently unclear where the fake road-closure memo originated or if it was intentionally designed to piggyback on the legitimate aviation news to cause further alarm.

No additional details were provided by the FAA regarding the nature of the security concerns at the airport, though an FAA notice classified the region as "National Defense Airspace."

Related

article

El Paso airport: Trump official says cartel drones breeched airspace

Temporary flight restrictions to El Paso International Airport have been lifted by the Federal Aviation Administration and all flights will resume as normal.

The Texas DPS urged the public to verify any reports of state operations through official channels to avoid the spread of misinformation.

"As a reminder, all official DPS communications will be issued by the DPS Media and Communications Office, designated PIOs and on official DPS social media channels," the agency stated.

Motorists are advised that while air travel in the region is currently halted, all land routes remain fully operational. Travelers are encouraged to check official state resources for the most accurate and up-to-date traffic information.