LETTERS: Concerns with Flock cameras, tariffs and airport closure - USA Today

LETTERS: Concerns with Flock cameras, tariffs and airport closure

El Paso Times

Updated Feb. 26, 2026, 12:34 p.m. ET

Flock cameras a serious concern

Flock cameras should be a serious concern to every freedom loving American. Imagine living in a country where a government agent follows you around wherever you go. They follow you to the grocery store, to work, to your parent’s house, to club meetings, to your doctor’s office and your favorite restaurants. They know your face and the dents in your car. The government agents follow you around so much that they can even predict where you will be on any given day and at any given hour. This is what Flock surveillance does. It is exactly what George Orwell predicted when he wrote 1984.

Yet city leaders across the country seem to be totally okay with this for the sake of “public safety.” The truth is, this is not about public safety but rather building a surveillance state where the corporations and the government will be able to monitor every single aspect of our lives. Research for yourself and learn the frightening truth. Next, call your representatives and tell them to keep Flock cameras out of El Paso. As taxpayers, we did not agree to pay so that we can be spied on. We have many infrastructure needs but building a surveillance state is not one of them.Benjamin Montoya

West El Paso

A mistake was made, return tariff money

I don't understand why people seem concerned about refunding tariff money. When a mistake is made, you compensate the injured. The U.S. charged tariffs they were not allowed to assess. The government should pay back tariffs charged in error. We should be grateful that the companies are not asking the president to pay for court costs and lost business earnings since he took it upon himself to charge for things he was not allowed by the constitution.

John Justice

Northeast El Paso

Civilian airspace must not be secondary to military experimentation

The sudden closure of the El Paso International Airport should concern anyone who relies on safe, dependable air travel. Although the shutdown was first described as lasting up to 10 days before being lifted hours later, it exposed gaps in coordination and communication between military operations and civilian aviation authorities.

El Paso International serves about 3 million passengers annually, and even a brief closure disrupts commerce, medical transport, and regional travel. With roughly 45,000 flights operating nationwide each day, seamless coordination between military and civilian airspace is essential. When that coordination falters, disruptions spread quickly.

The Trump administration has emphasized military expansion and border security, while the FAA faces nearly 3,000 air traffic controller vacancies and delayed modernization. When military testing proceeds without integration into civilian airspace planning, it raises concerns that defense priorities overshadow passenger safety.

Aviation safety depends on transparency, stability and clear lines of authority. The El Paso shutdown highlights the risks of blurred priorities and interagency friction. Civilian airspace must not become secondary to military experimentation. The traveling public deserves confidence that safety decisions are guided first and foremost by the protection of passengers.