"This reported engagement occurred when the Department of War employed counter-unmanned aircraft system authorities to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace," the Defense Department, CBP, and the FAA said in a joint statement late Thursday night. The Department of War is the White House's preferred term for the Defense Department.

In a statement given to CBS News on Thursday night, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said an incident had led to the expansion of an existing temporary flight restriction around Fort Hancock, Texas. The restriction was imposed for “Special Security Reasons,” according to the FAA.

In a joint statement on US social media company X, Democratic representatives Rick Larsen, Andre Carson, and Bennie Thompson, members of the US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, criticized the reported shooting down of the drone, citing poor interagency coordination.

The incident is the second this month involving US military-related drone activity near the southern Texas border that led to airspace restrictions, following a Feb. 11 airspace closure around El Paso International Airport due to a dispute over military drone tests near Fort Bliss.