Cartel Smugglers in Mexico Fire at U.S. Border Patrol Agents in Texas

Gunmen fired at U.S. Border Patrol agents trying to stop a human smuggling attempt in south Texas, Wednesday.

The incident took place on February 2, shortly after 6 p.m. near Fronton, Texas, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed. Agents were responding to a report of suspected migrants in the area when they reported shots fired at them from Mexico. Texas state troopers, Starr County Sheriff’s deputies, and additional Border Patrol agents rushed to the scene. No one was struck by the gunfire.

The shooting comes one month after gunmen fired at agents from the same location and struck a Border Patrol vehicle. In that case, the agents were trying to apprehend a migrant when gunmen began firing.

Miguel Aleman, just south of Fronton, has a long history of being a stronghold for the Gulf Cartel. The organization is able to capitalize on the region’s lack of physical border barriers and the shallow waters of the Rio Grande.

Fronton is the same area where, in 2019, gunmen shot more than 50 rounds at a Border Patrol boat. No agents were injured. The gunmen were protecting a shipment of cocaine and an underwater pulley system used to shuttle the narcotics across the river.

In 2016, a Texas state trooper and a U.S. Border Patrol agent were shot near the river. The stray shots reportedly came from a gun battle in Mexico between authorities and cartel men. The agent and trooper survived their injuries.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.