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US Border Patrol in cross-border shootout with human trafficking gang

VN (according to VnExpress) January 28, 2025 10:35

US Border Patrol opens fire on Mexican gang smuggling illegal immigrants across the border river in Texas.

Biên phòng Mỹ tuần tra trên sông Rio Grande vào ngày 24/1. Ảnh: AFP
US Border Patrol patrols the Rio Grande River on January 24. Photo:AFP

The US Border Patrol discovered a group of illegal immigrants attempting to cross the Rio Grande near Fronton, Texas, at noon on January 27, said Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesman Chris Olivarez.

Members of a human trafficking gang opened fire from Mexican territory on US border patrol officers, prompting them to return fire across the border. No one was injured in the shootout and none of the smugglers made it into the US.

DPS, which patrols the Rio Grande, said Mexican military vehicles were seen on the other side of the border after shots were fired. Cross-border shooting is a highly sensitive move that can cause tension between the two countries involved.

NewsNationStarr County police, Texas state police and border agents were deployed to the area following the shootout, it was reported.

In a statement on social media X the same day, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the Texas Border Task Force had been deployed to the Rio Grande Valley to assist border security, but did not mention the shootout. The US Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the incident.

The shootout took place near Fronton Island, located in the Rio Grande Valley, also nicknamed "gang island" because of the frequent criminal gang activity in the area.

In 2023, Dawn Buckingham, head of the Texas Agency of Land Management, declared the island a Texas territory despite objections from Mexico. She explained the decision as a way to give Texas law enforcement the authority to patrol the area and combat criminals who were exploiting it.

President Donald Trump on January 20 declared illegal immigration across the Mexican border a national emergency, assigning the military to help ensure border security.

The Pentagon last week deployed about 1,500 additional troops to the US-Mexico border, tasked with patrolling the border by helicopter and helping organize deportation flights.

VN (according to VnExpress)
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US Border Patrol in cross-border shootout with human trafficking gang