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.
The shooting took place around 1:30 p.m. near Fronton, Texas, but no injuries were reported, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without revealing more details.
A group of migrants were trying to cross the Rio Grande when shots first rang out, according to Fox News.
Border patrol agents then returned fire at suspected cartel members, Fox News reporter Bill Melugin tweeted earlier Monday, citing law enforcement sources.
The migrants reportedly did not make it into the US.
The scene where the shooting took place remains 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, Customs and Border Protection said Monday night.
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.
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.
