U.S. Soldier Opens Fire at Man Across the Border in Mexico

According to American authorities, a member of the Texas National Guard reportedly opened fire into Mexican territory while standing alongside the Rio Grande in the El Paso vicinity on Saturday night, wounding a civilian.

The soldier was sent out as part of Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) Operation Lone Star, a border security initiative that has lined the Rio Grande with American soldiers, concertina wire, and other barriers in a bid to stop illegal crossings.

The Texas Military Department, which is in charge of the National Guard, stated on Monday that an incident involving a soldier at the border who “discharged a weapon” was being looked into.

It is uncommon for American forces to fire shots into Mexican territory, but a number of prominent Republicans, including certain candidates for the presidency in 2024, have urged for using more force against criminal organizations on the Mexican side of the border.

According to Mexican news reports, the injured man was a Mexican immigrant who was traveling from Ciudad Juárez to the United States when he was shot by American officials. The individual in question is now reportedly in stable condition.

Agents of the U.S. Border Patrol did not take part in the shooting.

Although it is exceedingly unusual for American forces to fire a firearm into Mexico, the soldier’s use of force would likely be justified if the migrants’ lives were in immediate danger.

Criminal gangs frequently demand hundreds of dollars from migrants trying to enter the United States, and the gangsters will use deadly force to enforce their violent toll collecting scheme.