Mexico’s Defense Ministry says 500 Mexican Army and National Guard troops, supported by two Mexican Air Force helicopters, are being assigned to the Tamaulipas border with Texas after a US Coast Guard Patrol Boat crew reported exchanging gunfire with presumed cartel members on the Rio Grande on Friday, September 26, 2026.
A week later, on Friday, October 2, 2026, the US Northern Command & Joint Task Force Southern Border announced it deployed US “forces and equipment to the Rio Grande Valley … in support of federal partners.”
The deployment of “hundreds” of US troops, which the Northern Command is calling “Operation Unified Resolve,” is part of the ongoing “Operation Ardent Vanguard,” through which Joint Task Force – Southern Border continues to provide military capabilities to protect U.S. sovereignty at the Southern Border.
The Coast Guard crew that exchanged gunfire with shooters on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande border was assigned to “Operation River Wall,” which has been underway since October 2025.
The area in which the shots were fired is a well-known smuggling hot spot controlled by the Gulf Cartel (CDG).
Cross-border shootings, while infrequent, have been occurring for years now in this area just off Starr County, Texas.
HERE’s a link to a 2025 story about that. HERE’s a link to a 2021 story about another cross-border shooting. In 2016, a US Border Patrol Agent and a Texas State Trooper were shot when the cartel and Tamaulipas State Police engaged in a firefight.
None of those incidents resulted in a military response.
![US troops dismount from a US Army Chinook Helicopter along the Texas border with Mexico. (Frame grab from video by Mateo Garcia Estrada [Eliseo Garcia] via NewsNation’s Ali Bradley)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7VJh!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F53388311-58d4-48fb-ab74-7aa8b4a5d5b9_596x431.png "US troops dismount from a US Army Chinook Helicopter along the Texas border with Mexico. (Frame grab from video by Mateo Garcia Estrada [Eliseo Garcia] via NewsNation’s Ali Bradley)")
But this time both countries have apparently had enough:
“The U.S. Embassy in Mexico is helping coordinate with Mexican forces deploying to the border area where U.S. Coast Guardsmen were fired upon. Mexican military commanders will communicate directly with deployed U.S. forces. Together, we intend to patrol both sides of our shared border, protect our communities, and make it more difficult for criminal and terrorist organizations to operate. Any threats from criminal or terrorist elements on either side of the border will be swiftly addressed.” - US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson
The Mexican military was already cracking down on the Gulf Cartel along the border in the State of Tamaulipas before its government announced the deployment of 500 troops there.
Late last month, Mexican soldiers apprehended more than 50 migrants as they prepared to illegally cross the Rio Grande by raft:
“On Sept. 29, Laredo Sector Border Patrol coordinated with the Government of Mexico, DEFENSA, to interdict a large group that was staged on the Mexican side ready to cross into the Rio Grande. DEFENSA encountered over 50 subjects in the area and proceeded to dismantle a raft that was near the river.” -US Customs & Border Protection
What are your thoughts about the US & Mexico’s military response to the cartel activity in the Rio Grande Valley?
Share your opinions in the comments to this article.
Be careful folks