U.S. Border Patrol agents were recently fired upon along the Texas-Mexico border by a suspect shooting from the Mexican side of the border. According to the Border Patrol, this showcases the violence at the border and could be seen as a part of an escalation of violence stemming from Mexican drug cartels.
"USBP agents in El Paso Sector came under fire while arresting three subjects while two others fled back into Mexico," U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens said in a recent tweet. "Fortunately, nobody was injured, but these are the very real dangers our agents face every day on the frontline."
The U.S. Border Patrol agents were apprehending migrants when the group noticed an individual coming closer, holding a gun. They were fired upon. No one, either the agents or the migrants, was injured, American Military News reported. The situation prompted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to launch an investigation into the incident.
FBI El Paso Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Douglas Goodwater condemned the attack, saying such attacks will not be tolerated, American Military News said.
Earlier in the summer, 1,500 active-duty military troops were deployed to the southern border in the wake of a surge in immigration following the end of Title 42. It is believed that by the end of August, all troops were to have left, the news site said.
This isn’t the only time border patrol agents have been fired upon in recent months. Last year, agents were fired upon from Mexico in two incidents while patrolling the Rio Grande Valley Sector in Texas.
Given the recent news that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has created a specialized drone operator unit that converts commercial drones into bomb-like devices, there could be an escalation of danger for those working against the cartels and working along the southern border, Federal Newswire reported on Aug. 28.
In November 2022, four members of the Mexican military were killed when they were attacked by explosive drones operated by the Jalisco Cartel, the Daily Beast reported. This incident and others, along with the creation of the drone unit, show the cartel is putting a lot of resources and focus into drone operations. Since 2021, the Mexican military has seized 23 weaponized drones, the Daily Beast said.
The cartel drone unit currently operates in the Mexican states of Michoacán and Jalisco, Borderland Beat reported on Aug. 22.
