An artifact destroyed an official vehicle of the Government of Mexico in the Rio Bravo and injured its occupant on January 23. As a precaution, the consulate has ordered U.S. government employees to avoid travel in the Reynosa and Rio Bravo region outside daylight hours and to avoid dirt roads throughout Tamaulipas.
Border Patrol agents were shot at in the Rio Bravo in Fronton, Texas, when they were returning a group of migrants being transported by traffickers. Local media reported that U.S. agents responded with gunfire at the attackers.
These events occur amid pressures from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has designated Mexican cartels as terrorists and threatened to impose tariffs of 25 percent on Mexico. Trump has deployed thousands of military personnel to the common border and has begun deportations to Mexico and other Latin American countries.
In an executive order, Trump declared that the United States would designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The measure also pointed to other Latin American criminal groups as threats to national security.
The presence of the Gulf Cartel in Tamaulipas has generated violence in the region, leading the U.S. general consulate to issue a level 4 security alert for certain cities in the state. In a statement, the diplomatic representation expressed its concern over shootings and the presence of improvised explosive devices in the area.
Trump has signed several orders on his first day in office, including the aforementioned designation of cartels as terrorists, the declaration of a state of emergency at the southern border of the United States, and the promise to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada. He has also proposed mass deportations and mentioned the possibility of military intervention in Mexico to combat the cartels.
