A suspect in Mexico recently opened fire on U.S. Border Patrol agents in Texas who were apprehending a group of illegal immigrants, the agency said.
“USBP agents in El Paso Sector came under fire while arresting 3 subjects as 2 others fled back into Mexico. Fortunately, nobody was injured, but these are the very real dangers our agents face every day on the frontline. @USBPChiefEPT,” Jason Owens, 6th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, tweeted on Friday.
Border Patrol said the attack took place around 7 a.m. on Thursday near the border in Clint, Texas, WATE reported.
“As the group was being apprehended, agents noticed a subject south of the border barrier brandishing a handgun and fire towards the agents,” Border Patrol said in a statement. “The agents immediately took cover and secured the migrants.”
No one was injured during the shooting. It is unclear whether the gunman was detained.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation into the incident.
READ MORE: Gunshots fired at US Border Patrol from Mexico
“Assaults on Border Patrol agents or any other law enforcement officer from any side of the border will not be tolerated and will be investigated swiftly by our office so they can continue to carry out their sworn duty to protect our community and nation,” said FBI El Paso Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Douglas Goodwater.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved the deployment of 1,500 active duty members to the southern border in May for a 90-day period in response to the migration surge that accompanied the end of Title 42 asylum prohibitions.
The 90-day mission concluded on Aug. 8 for 1,100 active duty troops on the southern border, while 400 remaining troops will stay at the border until the end of August, according to an anonymous defense official.
This isn’t the first time Border Patrol agents have been fired upon from Mexico. Last year, agents were shot at while patrolling the Rio Grande Valley Sector in Texas.
The cross-border shooting came one month after other CBP agents in the same border sector were fired upon from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River.
