A U.S. Coast Guard riverine boat crew patrolling the Rio Grande near Garceno, Texas, came under gunfire from suspected Mexican cartel members on September 26, prompting a return of fire and a swift federal security response that now includes a U.S. Army deployment to the region.
According to a statement from Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Commander Rachel Ault, the small boat crew was conducting joint interdiction operations with federal partners, including U.S. Border Patrol agents, in the Tamaulipas border sector when shots were fired from the Mexican side of the river. The Coast Guardsmen returned fire and suppressed the threat.
“No injuries to Coast Guard or other personnel were reported, and no damage to Coast Guard assets or equipment was reported,” Ault said, adding that federal authorities take threats against military and law enforcement personnel seriously and that an investigation is ongoing.
A Department of Homeland Security source told Breitbart Texas that U.S. Army troops previously stationed in West Texas border operations are expected to redeploy to the Rio Grande Valley as a force-protection measure in direct response to the attack. Troops are expected to remain staged in the sector for at least 30 days, though the size and specific duration of the deployment have not been disclosed, citing operational security.
The Department of War’s Joint Task Force Southern Border did not respond to a request for details on the unit’s size and mission parameters before publication.
Ault said the Coast Guard continues to work alongside Border Patrol, the Department of War and the Texas Military Division as part of a layered security approach along the border.
A Recurring Pattern
Gunfire originating from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande has struck American personnel and property before. In June 2014, Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens deployed near Rincon Village, south of Mission, Texas, under then-Governor Rick Perry, reported being fired on in what was described as an apparent attempt at harassment.
About two years later, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was shot in the leg by a stray bullet fired from the Mexican side of the border near Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas. A Border Patrol agent present was unharmed thanks to protective gear.
More recently, Border Patrol agents conducting aerial surveillance in the Rio Grande Valley sector were also fired on by suspected cartel gunmen.
The incident near Garceno adds to a long record of cross-border violence targeting U.S. law enforcement and military personnel stationed along the Texas border, and marks one of the more direct military responses in recent memory.
