Mexican cartels offered $10,000 to gunmen who take aim at Border Patrol agents along the southern border, according to an internal federal alert.
The Department of Homeland Security warned that the cartels are placing the five-figure bounties as part of a “coordinated attack” in which armed agitators shoot at federal agents.
“Additional reporting suggests that assailants may wear Mexican military uniforms to avoid raising suspicion while carrying long arms or machine guns,” said the alert, first obtained by NewsNation.
“While this threat specifically pertains to the Rio Grande Valley Sector, it reflects heightened cartel frustrations that could extend across the southwest border.”
Border Patrol stations in Brownsville and Kingsville are the primary targets, NewsNation reported. The Rio Grande Valley Sector has nine stations across 34,000 square miles in Texas.
The alert said the threat came from northern Sonora, Mexico, with the powerful Sinaloa Cartel maintaining an active presence in the border state.
“Agents should remain aware of the potential threat and maintain heightened vigilance of their surroundings while conducting operations,” the alert said.
The DHS put out a similar warning last month, saying Mexican cartels created a tiered bounty system meant to entice assailants and informants.
The criminal outfits offered $2,000 to people who provided photos or other information about ICE agents and Border Patrol personnel.
Federal officials said the cartels were also willing to pay $5,000 to $10,000 for kidnappings and assaults directed at agents.
If a cartel affiliate managed to kill a high-ranking U.S. official, the syndicates offered $50,000, DHS said.
The payouts were offered to cartel contacts within the U.S. as well, putting at risk Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducting sweeps in major American cities.
Violence against federal immigration authorities has become a fact of life during the second Trump administration.
In July, alleged members of anarchist group antifa rained gunfire on federal agents at an ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas. One police officer was wounded in the shooting, and authorities took 10 people into custody on attempted murder charges.
Days later, a lone gunman opened fire on a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas. One cop was wounded before authorities gunned down the attacker.
And two people were charged with ramming Customs and Border Protection vehicles in Chicago last month as the agents were carrying out immigration operations.
