In Today’s Episode...
A disputed border shooting: U.S. officials report that Coast Guard personnel came under fire from Mexico, but Mexican authorities say they haven’t found evidence corroborating the account.
Cartels are watching from above: FOX San Antonio investigative reporter Yami Virgin visits the border, where criminal organizations are using drones to track American patrols and identify opportunities for smuggling.
An expert questions the escalation: George Mason University professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera explains why a deliberate cartel attack on American forces would be unusual and what the dispute means for U.S.-Mexico relations.
Good morning.
The United States and Mexico are increasing their military presence along the Rio Grande after U.S. Coast Guard personnel reported coming under fire from across the border.
The Coast Guard says its personnel returned fire during a September 26 operation near Garceño, Texas. But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government found no evidence confirming the incident and has requested proof.
Meanwhile, law enforcement warns that drug cartels are using sophisticated surveillance technology to monitor American border operations.
What Actually Happened Along the Rio Grande?
On September 26, Coast Guard personnel conducting an operation near Garceño, Texas, reported receiving gunfire from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.
The U.S. account: Coast Guard personnel returned fire. No injuries or equipment damage were reported, and federal authorities are investigating.
Mexico’s response: President Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexican security forces found no evidence confirming the shooting and has asked American officials to provide proof.
Despite the disagreement, both countries have deployed additional troops to the region.
Yami Virgin, who has covered the border for more than 25 years, traveled to the area to investigate.
Read Yami Virgin’s original FOX San Antonio investigation.
Virgin visited the remote property near where the shooting was reported, traveling approximately 25 minutes down a dirt road to reach the river. Residents appeared relatively calm, and she couldn’t locate anyone who had personally witnessed the incident or recorded it.
“Anybody else that really is saying, ‘oh, I was here, I heard it.’ We could find no one.”
The property owner told Virgin that increased patrols have actually made him feel safer than before.
Cartels Are Using Drones to Monitor Border Patrols
Virgin also visited the Webb County Sheriff’s Office in Laredo, Texas, where authorities demonstrated technology they’re using to monitor activity along the border.
The concern: Criminal organizations are using drones to track law enforcement movements and identify opportunities to move drugs and people across the river.
“They watch and see what time the patrols go by, when they switch people that are riding on these boats. So then they know when their opportunities are to cross either drugs or people across into the US.”
To counter those tactics, Webb County has developed a high-tech operations center combining surveillance cameras, sensors, drones and live video feeds.
Sheriff Martin Cuellar says the technology allows authorities to monitor activity from as far as 30 miles away, but keeping pace with well-funded criminal organizations requires continued investment.
Why Would a Cartel Attack American Forces?
That’s one of the biggest questions for Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at George Mason University who studies organized crime and U.S.-Mexico relations.
She says a deliberate attack would be surprising, particularly after the Trump administration designated several Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Her reasoning: Cartels operate as criminal businesses that generally want to move drugs, people and money without attracting unnecessary military attention.
“The alleged escalation does not fit into the way that I understand this phenomenon.”
Correa-Cabrera also says cartels have fragmented, operating through networks of smaller groups rather than centralized organizations.
She believes Mexico’s decision to deploy additional troops despite questioning the shooting is indicative of the complicated relationship with Washington. The country wants to maintain control over its territory, avoid direct U.S. military intervention and preserve cooperation on security, trade and migration.
Virgin plans to continue investigating, including speaking with the Texas Department of Public Safety about recent encounters with criminal organizations along the border.
That’s the briefing for today.
Do you think the United States and Mexico are responding appropriately to the reported shooting? Should both countries increase their military presence before investigators establish exactly what happened?
Join the conversation and tell us what you think.
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The National Press
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