A migrant suspected of being a Mexican cartel informant brutally assaulted and bit a Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agent after crossing the border from Mexico. A photo shows the word rata (rat) branded on his forehead.

Former Republican Representative Mayra Flores shared photos on her social media account depicting the aftermath of a violent assault against a Border Patrol agent in Texas. Sunday’s post on X, (formerly Twitter), included the photo of a migrant with a tattoo on his forehead that reads “RATA” which translates to rat in English — a sign that the migrant may have been branded by the Mexican Cartels as an informer. Flores also shared the bloody images of a Border Patrol agent wounded in the attack.

A suspected drug cartel informant bit a Border Patrol agent in the thigh during an assault. (Myra Flores via X)

The unnamed Border Patrol agent sustained a bite wound to his thigh during the attack. The attack occurred in the Texas Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector. A source within CBP, not authorized to speak to the media, says the incidents of assault on Border Patrol agents have not risen significantly during the latest border migration surge, but the assaults are becoming more dangerous as fewer Border Patrol agents are out on patrol.

“Most Border Patrol agents are dealing with the thousands of migrants crossing each day who willingly surrender,” the source explained. “Those migrants are not combative.”

“The ones who are trying to get away or are involved in human and drug smuggling are the danger,” the source continued. “If you tangle with one of them, the likelihood of having any quick back-up nearby is almost zero.”

The Rio Grande Valley in Texas is notorious for Mexican drug cartel activity on both sides of the border. In Fronton, Texas, across from the Mexican town of Miguel Aleman, the Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies frequently encounter cartel gunmen on the U.S. banks of the Rio Grande.

As reported by Breitbart Texas,  Border Patrol agents working with other law enforcement agents discovered several rifles and a cache of ammunition while patrolling in the area.

The Border Patrol released photos of the weapons seizure of two rifles, several rifle magazines, and an ammunition carrier. The weapons appeared to be an AR-15 style rifle and a Kalashnikov-style rifle.

In June, Department of Public Safety (DPS) Highway Patrol troopers working in the same area arrested five suspected Mexican cartel members and seized two AR-15 style rifles in the same area. In that incident, DPS Spokesperson Lieutenant Chris Olivarez told Breitbart Texas the men were believed to be connected to the Cartel Del Noreste faction of the Los Zetas cartel.

According to CBP, between October and August, more than 400 Border Patrol agents have become the victims of assault. 173 of these assaults occurred in Texas Border Patrol Sectors.

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.