The Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector received information about “a coordinated attack” in which criminal cartels are offering payments of $10,000 to those who shoot at Border Patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to an internal memo.
The alert, which was obtained by NewsNation correspondent Ali Bradley, said that “additional reporting suggests that assailants may wear Mexican military uniforms to avoid raising suspicion while carrying long arms or machine guns.”
“While this threat specifically pertains to the RGV [Rio Grande Valley] Sector, it reflects heightened cartel frustrations that could extend across the southwest border,” the federal communication said.
The threat is reportedly thought to have originated in northern Sonora, Mexico.
Sources told The Hill that the Brownsville and Kingsville Border Patrol stations were the initial targets.
“Agents should remain aware of the potential threat and maintain heightened vigilance of their surroundings while conducting operations,” the memo said.
Nine stations and more than 34,000 square miles make up the Rio Grande Valley Sector in southeast Texas.
This isn’t the first time the cartels have offered bounties to encourage violence against U.S. immigration authorities.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced that Mexican drug cartels established a tiered bounty system for doxxing, assaulting, and kidnapping Border Patrol agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The assassination of high-ranking officials could command a payout of up to $50,000, according to DHS.
“These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law, they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement at the time. “Our agents are facing ambushes, drone surveillance, and death threats, all because they dare to enforce the laws passed by Congress.”
“We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice,” she added.
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