WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Coast Guard personnel returned fire after shots came from the Mexican side of the border during operations near Garceno, Texas.
  • No personnel were injured, and no Coast Guard assets or equipment were damaged during the Sept. 26 encounter.
  • Hundreds of U.S. troops were repositioned to the Rio Grande Valley, while Mexico deployed 500 Army and National Guard personnel.
  • The military cited the encounter as an example of increased illegal activity along the border.

Coast Guard personnel exchanged gunfire with people on the Mexican side of the border while intercepting migrants crossing the Rio Grande River, according to officials. The encounter unfolded as federal agencies conducted joint operations near Garceno in Starr County, Texas.

The incident occurred on Sept. 26, when the first shots came from the Mexican side of the border. Coast Guard personnel returned fire, officials said Friday, according to Stars and Stripes.

Authorities have not identified the people involved on the Mexican side. Although officials said the gunfire originated from Mexico, it remains unclear who fired the initial shots.

No Coast Guard members or other personnel were hurt during the exchange. Officials also reported that Coast Guard assets and equipment escaped damage.

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"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.

The Coast Guard said it was investigating the gunfire alongside its federal partners. The investigation comes as American and Mexican forces increase their presence in the border region amid heightened concerns about illegal activity.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said the embassy "is helping to coordinate with Mexican forces that are being deployed in the border area where shots were fired against elements of the United States Coast Guard."

Johnson said Mexican military commanders would communicate directly with deployed U.S. forces. He also described plans for personnel on both sides of the border to patrol their respective areas and confront criminal and terrorist organizations.

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"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," Johnson added.

The encounter was later cited by the U.S. military as an example of rising illegal activity along the border. Hundreds of American troops and their equipment were repositioned to the Rio Grande Valley, while 500 Mexican Army and National Guard personnel were deployed on the Mexican side.

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The U.S. military said Friday that the movement of troops and equipment was part of planned preparations to address "historically observed seasonal increases in attempted illegal activity." The Joint Task Force-Southern Border directly connected the Sept. 26 encounter to that assessment.

"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.

The Coast Guard also has expanded its operations along the Rio Grande. It launched Operation River Wall in October 2025, sending additional personnel, boats and other assets to patrol the river between the United States and Mexico.

Under the operation, Coast Guard forces were set to focus on approximately 260 miles of the Rio Grande along the border. The service said it was working closely with Border Patrol, the Pentagon and the Texas Military Department.

That cooperation was designed "to secure the border, disrupt illicit activity and protect the American people," the Coast Guard said, according to Stars and Stripes. The effort combines personnel and assets from multiple agencies confronting illegal operations in the region.

"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 said.

The exchange near Garceno brought the danger facing personnel along the Rio Grande into sharp focus. With hundreds of U.S. troops repositioned and Mexican forces deployed, American officials are treating increased illegal activity along the border as a serious security concern.

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