U.S. Border Patrol agents exchanged gunfire with suspected Mexican cartel members at the southern border on Monday.
An incident in Texas' Rio Grande Valley involved a gunshot being fired from the southern side of the U.S.-Mexico border toward border agents, the Washington Examiner reported.
Multiple shots were returned by U.S. Border Patrol agents, federal and state law enforcement officials told the outlet.
"The specific incident occurred in Fronton, Texas, and a Mexican cartel is suspected to be behind the initial gunshot," the source told the Examiner. "No Border Patrol agent was injured by the gunshot."
Lt. Chris Olivarez, of the Texas Department of Public Safety, took to X to post videos and photos showing the heavily armed gunman.
"VIDEO: Earlier today, @TxDPS responded to assist the US Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Starr County. DPS Drone Operators captured the gunmen fleeing Mexico due to military presence, & seeking refuge on an island between the US & Mexico. The State of Texas will continue to monitor the area closely & use every resource available to prevent transnational threats to our law enforcement partners & the homeland," Olivarez posted.
Two officials told the Examiner that a "green light" that gave members approval to open fire on U.S. federal law enforcement had been put out by the cartel after President Donald Trump's inauguration.
Trump campaigned on making border security and the deportation of illegal migrants, especially those with criminal histories, as top priorities for his administration.
During an online conversation with five border officials, NewsNation's Ali Bradley reported that the area in which Monday's shooting took place is known as "cartel island" because there have been "a lot of issues with the cartel over there."
"Being fired on by the cartel is not necessarily unprecedented," Bradley said. "Unfortunately, my agents are texting me saying, 'Unfortunately, we're used to that.'"
Fronton Island is an uninhabited island in Starr County, Texas, and it's a disputed territory about which Texas and Mexico have made conflicting ownership claims, Newsweek reported.
"The violence is going to go on because it's a billion dollar industry, they gotta keep their money," Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, told Bradley.
The reported gunfire at the southern border occurred on a day Trump told House Republicans that he focuses "on the border more than anything else."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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