BREAKING: US Border Patrol Agents SHOT AT By Mexican Cartel

Things may be getting dicey down on the Texas border as President Trump’s border security and immigration enforcement plans ratchet up.

First, there are reports that cartel members on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande fired upon U.S. Border Patrol Agents on the Texas side of the border.

There was apparently a group of migrants attempting to cross the river (smugglers…?) when the gunmen opened fire on the Agents, who then returned fire across the river into Mexico.

Bill Melugin first broke the news with this preliminary report:

BREAKING: Per multiple law enforcement sources, within the last hour, Border Patrol agents near Fronton, TX were fired upon from MX by suspected cartel gunmen as a group of illegal aliens were being brought across the river. I’m told BP returned fire, nobody hit on either side,…

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 27, 2025

Rawsalerts quickly corroborated the story, issuing this breaking news alert on X:

🚨#BREAKING: A Suspected Mexican cartel gunmen have begun shooting at Border Patrol agents as a group of illegal aliens were being brought across the river

📌#Fronton | #Texas

Currently, Border Patrol agents near Fronton, Texas, are on high alert after coming under fire from… pic.twitter.com/nOFvxyRjka

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 27, 2025

Here’s the full text from the Rawsalerts post:

#BREAKING: A Suspected Mexican cartel gunmen have begun shooting at Border Patrol agents as a group of illegal aliens were being brought across the river

Currently, Border Patrol agents near Fronton, Texas, are on high alert after coming under fire from suspected cartel gunmen in Mexico during an attempted crossing of illegal aliens across the river, according to officials. The incident occurred as the group was being guided toward the U.S. side, prompting Border Patrol agents to return fire in self-defense. The exchange of gunfire successfully deterred the group, and the illegal aliens did not make it across the river. No injuries were reported among the agents or the individuals involved. Authorities are continuing to monitor the area closely.

This is a seriously troubling sign, because cartels have mostly controlled their members from taking action against American Border Patrol Agents or U.S. assets.

The general working system for the cartels is to go about their business while giving the U.S. as little reason as possible to target them.

They also operate in a way that allows elements of the Mexican federal government to work with the cartels, and any violent action against American interests is considered dangerous to that relationship between the cartels and the Mexican authorities — who would then attract increased pressure from the U.S. to crack down on the cartels.

This is a serious development, highlighting that cartels are likely taking the reigns off their members and allowing direct action to be taken against American Border Patrol assets as a response to President Trump’s Executive Order designating the cartels as terrorist organizations.

Here’s a Fox News report about that designation:

At the moment it is also being reported by Bill Melugin, who initially broke the story, as well as other news sources that Mexican military is currently staging assets across the river on the Mexican side where the gunfight just occurred.

Melugin is reporting that Lieutenant Chris Olivarez with the Texas DPS is confirming the movement of Mexican military assets to the area.

Texas DPS @LtChrisOlivarez tells me DPS is now patrolling the area and has a drone in the air and can see Mexican military assets now staging on the other side of the river. pic.twitter.com/z61RkrVvEq

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 27, 2025

This is a quickly developing situation, and I can not confirm a link at this time — but this firefight comes on the heels of a Sinaloa cartel member arrested in Texas.

The cartel member was loaded for war carrying 3,000 rounds of ammo, 2 pistols, and 3 rifles when U.S. ICE Agents arrested him over the weekend, according to a report by Fox News:

A member of the Sinaloa cartel was arrested in Texas by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend and was found to be carrying three rifles, two pistols and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, sources tell Fox News.

The individual — who is from Mexico — was taken into custody in El Paso, the sources added. Across the U.S., ICE operations this past weekend resulted in more than 1,000 arrests.

The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said last year that the U.S. is facing the “most dangerous and deadly drug crisis” in its history with fentanyl and methamphetamine flowing across the border — and that the “Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels are at the heart of this crisis.”

As stated, it can not be confirmed at this time whether or not these two events are linked.

But historically there have been immediate upticks in violent actions by the cartels any time members are arrested, particularly high ranking members.

The interwoven nature of some Mexican cartels with the Mexican government — and Mexican military — is a particularly dangerous aspect to these types of situations.

The question begs asking: are the military assets being staged across the Rio Grande doing so for the responsible securing of the border area in light of the event that just took place?

Or are these elements of the Mexican military friendly to the local cartel, responding more as backup to their own allies?

Border Patrol Agents reportedly fired into Mexico as they were returning fire.  That means there was cross-border gunfire going both ways.

Technically, that is an act of war.

It thus remains to be seen exactly how this situation plays out, and what it might portend for U.S. / Mexican relations as President Trump secures our border, deports illegals, and targets cartels as the terrorists that they are.

This would be in line with the news that cartels are now planting IED’s along roadways as an attempt to sow terror:

🚨BREAKING: Authorities in Brownsville, Texas have issued an urgent warning for travelers crossing the border between the United States and Mexico, as cartel members have reportedly been placing explosives along roadways in Tamaulipas.

Veteran: "It's a shame that those are… pic.twitter.com/5NW0IVBb25

— RJ (@RJDIntel) January 27, 2025

Here’s the full text of that news post:

Major news outlets are just starting to pick up the story about the gunfight.

There are reportedly no injuries from the gunfight that erupted on the Rio Grande across from Starr County in Texas according to a report just issued by Newsweek:

According to multiple news outlets, including Fox News, U.S. Border Patrol agents near Fronton, Texas, exchanged gunfire at the southern border with suspected drug cartel gunmen from Mexico.

According to reports, there were no injuries in the incident near Fronton Island, an uninhabited island in the Rio Grande in Starr County, Texas.

“Per multiple law enforcement sources, within the last hour, Border Patrol agents near Fronton, TX were fired upon from MX by suspected cartel gunmen as a group of illegal aliens were being brought across the river. I’m told BP returned fire, nobody hit on either side, and that the illegal aliens did not make it across,” Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported on X, formerly Twitter.

Thankfully, as far as this incident goes, it is being reported that there are no injuries on the Texas side.

As things continue to heat up, that is going to be an outcome that will likely get harder and harder to duplicate.

This is a developing story.  We will keep an eye on developments in the area and bring you updates and more information when it becomes available.