STARR COUNTY, TX - On Saturday, September 26, Coast Guard personnel exchanged gunfire with people on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the days following, the U.S. military cited the incident as an example of increased illegal activity as hundreds of U.S. troops and their equipment were repositioned to Texas' Rio Grande Valley and 500 Mexican Army and National Guard personnel were deployed to its side of the border, Fox News reported.
Coast Guard personnel were intercepting migrants crossing the Rio Grande while working with other federal agencies when the initial gunshots came from the Mexican side of the border. On Friday, October 2, officials confirmed that Coast Guard personnel then returned fire.
The gunfire exchange happened while federal agencies conducted joint operations near Garceno, a small town along the border in Starr County, Texas. The Coast Guard said it was investigating the incident alongside federal partners. It is currently unclear who fired the initial shots.
"No injuries to Coast Guard or other personnel were reported, and no damage to Coast Guard assets or equipment was reported," the Coast Guard said.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said the embassy "is helping coordinate with Mexican forces that are being deployed in the border area where shots were fired against elements of the United States Coast Guard."
"Mexican military commanders will communicate directly with the U.S. forces deployed. Together, we intend to patrol both sides of our shared border, protect our communities and disrupt the operations of criminal and terrorist organizations. Any threat from criminal or terrorist elements on either side of the border will be addressed swiftly," he added.
In October 2025, the Coast Guard launched Operation River Wall, deploying additional personnel, boats and other assets to patrol the river between the U.S. and Mexico. The Coast Guard said its forces would focus on approximately 260 miles of the Rio Grande along the U.S.-Mexico border.
It was working closely with Border Patrol, the Pentagon and the Texas Military Department to "secure the border, disrupt illicit activity and protect the American People," the Coast Guard said.
"We will continue to leverage a layered, integrated approach to control, secure and defend the border that strengthens our collective ability to counter illicit activity and safeguard our personnel and the communities we serve," the Coast Guard added.
On Friday, October 2, the U.S. military said it had deployed hundreds of troops and their equipment to the Rio Grande Valley as part of planned preparations to address "historically observed seasonal increase in attempted illegal activity."
"The Sept. 26 Coast Guard encounter is an example of this uptick in illegal activity," the Joint Task Force-Southern Border said in a statement.
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