Update: The FAA ended the temporary closure of airspace over El Paso. "There is no threat to commercial aviation," the agency said in a social media post Wednesday morning.
Flights to and from El Paso are prohibited for 10 days, according to a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Temporary flight restrictions began late Tuesday night for "special security reasons," according to a notice on the FAA's website. Flights will be prohibited until Feb. 20.
The restriction excludes Mexican airspace, according to the FAA.
"The Federal Aviation Administration classifies the airspace defined in this NOTAM as INTL Defense Airspace," the notice states. "Pilots who do not adhere to the following [procedure] may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel."
The notice from the FAA goes on to say "the United States Government may use deadly force against the [aircraft], if it is determined that the [aircraft] poses an imminent security threat."
El Paso officials are scrambling to learn more about the notice. Neither the White House or the U.S. Department of Defense have released an announcement or stated a reason for the temporary flight restriction.
In a Reddit post, City Council Representative Chris Canales said local officials were not given advanced notice of the temporary flight restriction. Neither were military officials at Fort Bliss, he added.
"Military does not have carte blanche exemption," he wrote. "Army is fretting about their flights tomorrow just as much as everyone else."
The FAA issued the temporary flight restriction on short notice, according to a statement from the city of El Paso.
"The restriction prohibits all aircraft operations (including commercial, cargo and general aviation) and is effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST)," the statement said. "Airport staff has reached out to the FAA, and we are pending additional guidance. In the meanwhile, commercial airlines operating out of El Paso are being informed of the restriction, which appears to be security related. Travelers are encouraged to contact their airlines to get the latest information on their flight status,"
This story will be updated.