Memo warns border agents of escalating threats from Mexican cartels

Cartel allegedly planning to use shooters on the Mexico side
Group wants to make it look like the US government involved in shootings
Agents urged to wear ballistic armor and travel in groups

Border agents are on high alert after a new memo warns of possible attacks from the Mexican side of the border and urges them to wear ballistic armor in anticipation of violence.

A memo from the Rio Grande Valley Sector Operations Center obtained by NewsNation is warning agents in that sector that an organized group operating out of Matamoros, Mexico, is allegedly planning to use a shooter who targets U.S. law enforcement or military from the other side of the U.S. border.

The memo also states that the alleged group was trying to make it appear as if the U.S. government was involved in that shooting.

Agents have been warned to wear ballistic armor and travel in groups as attacks could become more common.

The new orders come as the Department of Justice unveils a sweeping directive aimed at dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations under Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Several of the orders Bondi issued on her first day in office redirect Justice Department resources to supporting President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and vow to eliminate foreign drug cartels.

Officials in Texas have been warning that cartel violence could escalate as a result of new crackdowns at the border.

Two weeks ago, suspected cartel members opened fire on Border Patrol agents in Fronton, Texas, from the Mexican side of the border. Drone footage from the Texas Department of Public Safety shows suspected cartel members fleeing after firing the shots.

Texas DPS has been preparing for more violent confrontations as cartels on the border resort to more of an aggressive approach towards U.S. Border Patrol agents on that southern border.

Bondi’s order removes legal hurdles for the DOJ in prosecuting cartel leaders. The cases will be fast-tracked on terrorism and racketeering charges, which allow cartel members to be treated like domestic terrorists. It also includes the death penalty in cases where cartel actions lead to American deaths.

About 300 Texas National Guard are headed to the South Texas border town of Laredo, according to Border Patrol.

The new troops will be allowed to perform immigration officer duties under the supervision of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. This is under a new memorandum of understanding between CBP and the Texas National Guard that allows some in-state active-duty soldiers the authority to question immigration status under Title 8.

“Under Title 8, they will have the authority to make arrests, but I want everybody to understand. We are not going to tell them, ‘Hey you guys go and take this area,’ and we don’t put Border Patrol agents out,” Muñoz told the Laredo Morning Times. ““They are going to work under direct supervision of the Border Patrol. If there’s a case where they make an apprehension, there will be Border Patrol agents close by that will come and assist.”

On Feb. 3, there were several reports of gunfire incidents in Nuevo Laredo, and even close to an international bridge, the newspaper reported.

Cuellar deployed Operation Lone Star resources, which include Texas National Guard troops and DPS troopers, near the international bridge and Laredo College to maintain a visible presence on the border, the newspaper reported.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week visited Sunland Park, New Mexico, where he said the thousands of troops coming to the Southwest border will be a “force multiplier” for immigration agents.

“What President Trump has done – whether it’s Border Patrol, (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or the military – is it’s going to take the handcuffs off our ability to do our job,” Hegseth told reporters. “And that allows us to get at the problem in ways the previous administration was not serious about.”