National Defense

US Deploys 500 Troops To Rio Grande Valley Combatting Cartels

Military helicopter (U.S. Air Force)

The U.S. military is deploying approximately 500 troops to the Rio Grande Valley in America’s fight against cartels.

The deployment is a response to Coast Guard members being shot at by suspected cartel members on Sept. 26, NewsNation reported Friday. Though the incident remains under investigation, no injuries to Coast Guard personnel or damage to Coast Guard assets have been reported.

The deployed troops are being dropped via Chinook helicopter into various islands in the region, according to the outlet. Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande personnel faced gunfire from the U.S.-Mexico border near Garceno, Texas while conducting joint operations with regional partners. The Coast Guard returned fire.

The Coast Guard told NewsNation that the branch “works closely with U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of War and the Texas Military Department to secure the border, disrupt illicit activity and protect the American people.”

The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to the USCG Corpus Cristi Sector but did not immediately receive a response.

From August through September, the Joint Task Force Southern Border used a high-energy laser counter-UAS system to take down at least 11 cartel-operated drones, according to the United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM). The effort was a move to mitigate threats against personnel in the region. Along the 250 coastal miles, 320 river miles and 19 counties in the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector, drones surveilling agents and troops pose a significant threat.