Dramatic footage has emerged of suspected Mexican cartel members fleeing to Fronton Island after a gunfight with U.S. Border Patrol agents near the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday.
A video released by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which deployed a drone to assist Border Patrol, shows a group of men taking refuge in dense foliage which is often used as cover by cartels, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Newsweek has contacted the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for further comment via email outside of normal office hours.
Why It Matters
Since taking office last week, Trump has launched a promised crackdown on illegal immigration, signing a series of executive orders to enable mass deportations. One of these orders classifies Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Trump made immigration a central theme of his successful presidential campaign, and Americans largely support his mass deportation plans, but differ on implementation.
A New York Times/Ipsos poll from January 2 to 10 found 55 percent of voters strongly or somewhat supported such plans. Eighty-eight percent supported “Deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have criminal records.” Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agreed that the immigration system is broken.
What To Know
U.S. Border Patrol agents engaged in a shootout with suspected cartel members near the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday, as the U.S. government ramps up its efforts to combat cartel activity.
The shootout in Texas took place precisely one week after President Donald Trump intensified border security on his first day in office.
No injuries were reported in the incident near Fronton Island, an uninhabited area in the Rio Grande located in Starr County, according to reports.
The island is a disputed area situated in the Rio Grande along the southern border, with both Texas and Mexico making conflicting claims to ownership. It has been a hotbed of cartel activity, according to Texas authorities.
Dawn Buckingham, the land commissioner of Texas, told Fox News Digital in 2023: “The land just hadn’t been accurately declared as it was forming in the river. That’s why we had to step in and officially declare it Texas territory.”
NewsNation reported on Monday that Mexican cartel operatives were trying to smuggle a group of migrants across the Rio Grande when the confrontation took place.
The DPS troopers are involved in Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, which focuses on combating illegal immigration as well as drug and human trafficking.
A press release when the operation was launched in 2021 said it would integrate the DPS with the Texas National Guard “to combat the smuggling of people and drugs into Texas.”
What People Are Saying
Lieutenant Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for the DPS-South Texas, said in a post on X: “Earlier today, @TxDPS responded to assist the US Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Starr County. DPS Drone Operators captured the gunmen fleeing Mexico due to military presence, & seeking refuge on an island between the US & Mexico. The State of Texas will continue to monitor the area closely & use every resource available to prevent transnational threats to our law enforcement partners & the homeland.
President Donald Trump, in an executive order last week: “Enforcing our Nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States. The American people deserve a Federal Government that puts their interests first and a Government that understands its sacred obligation to prioritize the safety, security, and financial and economic well-being of Americans.”
Greg Abbott said in 2024: “For years, the cartels were ‘running rampant’ in Fronton Island’s ‘thick vegetation’ and ‘bullet-pocked structures’ along the river to stage illegal entries, surveil state and federal law enforcement, stash weapons, plant explosives, evade apprehension, and engage in open warfare against rival cartels and against state and federal officers.”
What Happens Next
It is expected that Trump will continue his crackdown on the cartels as the administration looks to tighten up border security.
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