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US Border Patrol and Mexican cartel members trade gunfire at southern border: report
US Border Patrol agents and suspected Mexican cartel members traded gunfire near the southern border Monday as a group of migrants tried to enter the US illegally, according to a report.
nypost.com
US Border Patrol and Mexican cartel members trade gunfire at southern border: report
By
David Propper and
Emily Crane
Published Jan. 28, 2025
Updated Jan. 28, 2025, 6:50 a.m. ET
Suspected Mexican cartel members were caught on video opening fire on US Border Patrol agents near the southern border Monday – as a group of migrants reportedly tried to enter the US illegally, authorities said.
The ordeal unfolded at about 1:30 p.m. near Fronton, Texas, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without revealing more details.
The apparent cartel members had started firing as the group of migrants were trying to cross the Rio Grande, Fox News reported, citing law enforcement sources.
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3 A US Customs and Border Protection officer briefs US soldiers at Gate 40 of the US-Mexico border wall on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. James Keivom
Border patrol agents quickly returned fire, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“DPS responded to assist the US Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton,” Lt. Chris Olivarez posted on X alongside a slew of videos showing the heavily armed gunman.
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“DPS drone operators captured the gunmen fleeing Mexico due to military presence and seeking refuge on an island between the US and Mexico,” he added.
The footage showed at least four gun-toting men walking along the river bank and trying to seek cover in the shrubs as the drone tracked them.
3 A US Border Patrol officer deploys on the Rio Grande on a patrol of the US-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 24, 2025. AFP via Getty Images
3 Construction workers at a site with a crane building the US-Mexico border wall in El Paso, Texas, with Juarez, Mexico in the background on Jan. 27, 2025. NYPJ
Several were repeatedly caught aiming their weapons directly at the drone, the clips show.
“The State of Texas will continue to monitor the area closely and use every resource available to prevent transnational threats to our law enforcement partners and the homeland,” Olivarez said.
The scene where the shooting took place remained active with the Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, DHS Office of Inspector General, the FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety all involved in the probe, CPB said late Monday.
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Meanwhile, the migrants who were trying to cross at the time of the ordeal reportedly didn’t make it into the US.
The shooting comes as President Trump makes cracking down on illegal immigration and fortifying the southern border an early hallmark of his second term in the Oval Office.
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US officials said last week the Pentagon would start shipping up to 1,500 active duty troops to the Mexican border to join about 2,200 US National Guard and Reserve personnel already in place.
Trump was also considering sending up to 10,000 troops to the border as part of the country’s effort to seal the borders, the Washington Post reported last week.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it arrested 1,179 people and lodged 853 immigration detainers Monday – a day after it carried out 956 arrests and issued 554 detainers.