Border Patrol Agents Engage in Gunfire with Suspected Cartel Members – One America News Network
OAN Staff Blake Wolf
6:08 PM – Monday, January 27, 2025
On Monday, suspected cartel members from Mexico opened fire on U.S. Border Patrol agents close to Fronton, Texas, resulting in a fierce gun battle.
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Fortunately, none of the Border Patrol agents sustained injuries during the incident, which occurred as a group of undocumented immigrants was seen attempting to cross the Rio Grande.
“According to multiple law enforcement sources, Border Patrol agents near Fronton, TX came under fire from suspected cartel gunmen as a group of illegal aliens was being smuggled across the river. BP returned fire, and reports indicate nobody was hit on either side, with the illegal aliens failing to cross,” shared Fox News’ Bill Melugin in a post on X.
The confrontation took place shortly after President Donald Trump enacted several executive orders regarding immigration, aimed at tightening security along the Southern border. This has reportedly led to increased aggression from Mexican cartel members, described as “unprecedented since President Trump took office—some even receiving orders to shoot at agents recently,” according to NewsNation.
In response to the incident, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) stated, “The Texas Tactical Border Force has been deployed to the Rio Grande Valley to work alongside U.S. Border Patrol agents. Texas is partnering with the Trump Administration to secure our border and ensure the safety of America.”
The shootout occurred near Fronton Island, colloquially referred to as “Cartel Island” due to its notoriety for criminal activities. This uninhabited island, situated within the Rio Grande in Starr County, Texas, was officially declared Texas territory by Commissioner Dawn Buckingham in 2023, giving law enforcement the authority to patrol the region.
“One aspect of the General Land Office’s responsibility is to determine the center of a waterway,” Buckingham noted. “Anything in the center of the Rio Grande and northward belongs to the state of Texas and ultimately the United States.”
“The land had not been accurately designated as it formed in the river. That’s why we needed to officially declare it as Texas territory,” she added.
Recently, President Trump signed an executive order classifying Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, citing their “violent and terroristic activities across the Western Hemisphere that have destabilized key nations for our national interests and inundated the United States with dangerous drugs, violent offenders, and ruthless gangs,” according to the White House.
“The cartels exert control via assassination, terrorism, violence, and intimidation over almost all illegal activities across the southern border of the U.S. In some areas of Mexico, they operate similarly to quasi-governmental organizations, exerting influence over societal functions. Their actions pose a significant threat not only to the safety of American citizens but also to U.S. national security and international stability throughout the Western Hemisphere,” stated the executive order.
“Enforcing our immigration laws is vital to maintaining the national security and public safety of the United States,” Trump asserted last week. “The American public deserves a Federal Government that prioritizes their interests and recognizes its fundamental duty to safeguard the safety, security, and economic well-being of its citizens.”
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