7 months ago
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(NewsNation) — The portion of the Rio Grande Valley successful Texas wherever suspected members of Mexican cause cartels exchanged gunfire with U.S. borderline officials Monday has been targeted by organized transgression organizations for cause and quality smuggling for decades.
But aft nary 1 was injured successful an incidental Monday erstwhile cartel members changeable astatine Border Patrol agents, Lt. Christopher Olivarez, spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said helium lone expects much incidents to follow.
Olivarez told NewsNation connected Tuesday that Fronton, Texas, the country wherever the gunfire speech took place, is 1 of the “most active, violent” borderline regions that agents patrol.
“For decades, the Mexican cause cartels person utilized that country to facilitate cause smuggling, quality smuggling,” Olivarez said.
Olivarez said that successful 2023, the authorities acquired a 123-acre parcel of onshore that was being utilized by cartels to question refuge for transgression operations. Now, helium said the authorities is investigating whether it tin get the country wherever Monday’s gunfire speech took spot to support incidents similar Monday’s from taking place.
“We person seen encounters with the cartels wherever they bash prosecute instrumentality enforcement. They sprout toward them,” helium said.
However, Olivarez said that arsenic the crackdown connected the U.S-Mexico border nether President Donald Trump continues, helium expects conditions could worsen. He said that arsenic amerciable borderline crossings driblet nether Trump, the cartels volition person their bottommost enactment impacted.
“With that, we expect to spot an escalation successful threats,” Olivarez told NewsNation.
