Border Patrol agents fired upon in Texas border

U.S. Border Patrol agents were reportedly shot at from the Mexican side of the border in Texas, according to officials. No agents were injured in the incident.

At approximately 1:29 p.m. on Monday, shots were fired from Mexico toward a group of Border Patrol agents on Fronton Island in Starr County, Texas, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The gunfire began as illegal migrants were attempting to cross the Rio Grande, according to Fox News.

NewsNation journalist Ali Bradley, citing sources, reported that suspected cartel members fired at the agents as they attempted to bring a group of migrants into the U.S. The Border Patrol agents returned fire. No casualties were reported on either side.

Fronton Island is an uninhabited island in the Rio Grande, located between Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The island is frequently used for human and drug smuggling into the U.S. The territory was unclaimed by both the U.S. and Mexico until 2023, when Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the occupation of the island.

A similar incident occurred in Fronton in 2019, when the Border Patrol Marine Unit patrolling the Rio Grande came under fire from the Mexican riverbank. Agents observed four individuals armed with automatic weapons who fired more than 50 rounds at them. The patrol boat was struck multiple times, but no one on board was injured.