Troops repositioned to Rio Grande Valley after gunfire at Coast Guard

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

Hundreds of U.S. troops are being repositioned to the Rio Grande Valley after Coast Guard crew in Starr County encountered gunfire from across the Mexican border Sept. 26.

In a statement issued by the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande personnel “encountered gunfire,” shot from across the Mexican border into the vicinity of Garceno, Texas, in Starr County, on Sept. 26. No USCG personnel were injured. 

“Threats to Coast Guard members and our partners are taken extremely seriously. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation,” it said.  

Since then, hundreds of U.S. troops are being deployed to south Texas, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) said. USNORTHCOM has been leading border security efforts in response to an executive order President Donald Trump issued on his first day in office. In it, he declared a national emergency and invasion at the southwest border and directed USNORTHCOM to “seal the borders and maintain the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of the United States by repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.” He also surged Coast Guard resources to augment border security efforts. 

Through Joint Task Force-Southern Border and Operation Unified Response, by last March, 10,000 troops were surged to the southwest border. In one year, 20,000 troops had been deployed there and conducted tens of thousands of detection, monitoring and security site missions, The Center Square reported. Throughout this time, USCG crew have partnered with the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol and others. 

This is not the first time federal agents have faced gunfire. Last January, Border Patrol agents were fired upon in the Rio Grande Valley. This was after Texas border security efforts through Operation Lone Start expanded and the Texas General Land Office took control of Fronton Island. Texas DPS and OLS officers were deployed to combat cartel activity and potential Tren de Aragua criminal activity as Venezuelans poured into the country. They also replaced an erected Venezuelan flag on the island with a Texas flag, The Center Square reported. 

By October 2023, Texas DPS’ Operation Flat Top had thwarted cartel activity on the island.  

Texas OLS efforts are ongoing, in their fifth year.

At the time, the Biden administration sued Texas to stop OLS efforts and governors from 26 states sent National Guard and other resources to Texas, The Center Square reported.

By contrast, this week, under the Trump administration, hundreds of JTF-SB U.S. service members and associated equipment were repositioned to the Rio Grande Valley, operating through Operation Ardent Response, USNORTHCOM said in a statement. Their goal is “to strengthen border security operations, increase the joint force’s ability to respond to threats and support federal law enforcement partners operating around along the Rio Grande.” 

Operation Unified Response troops “will increase patrol capacity, reinforce key areas, provide additional monitoring and detections capabilities, and reinforce security of critical location” in support of DHS and federal immigration efforts. Their efforts are part of Operation Ardent Vanguard, “through which joint task force- southern border continues to provide military capabilities in support of protecting U.S. sovereignty at the southern border,” it said.

At a news conference in Austin, Abbott said, “there was an outbreak of activity along the border, and there has been an increase in either crossings or attempts to cross for activity by cartels along the border.” He also said OLS troops were responding.  

“Texas is stepping up to assist Border Patrol to assist local communities," he said. 

Abbott was joined by multiple OLS leaders and Border Patrol at the news conference where he celebrated Texas receiving a record $7.5 billion from DHS as part of a reimbursement for OLS costs, The Center Square reported. 

National Border Patrol Council Vice President Hector Garza, who joined Abbott, said, “I think we can confirm that [the shooting] was cartel,” adding that an investigation is ongoing. 

The Coast Guard also said it was working closely with Border Patrol, the Department of War and Texas Military Department to “secure the border, disrupt illicit activity and protect the American people.” It also said it would “continue to leverage a layered, integrated approach to control, secure, and defend the border that strengthens our collective ability to counter illicit activity and safeguard our personnel and the communities we serve.”