Coast Guard personnel exchange gunfire along US-Mexico border

Coast Guard personnel intercepting migrants crossing the Rio Grande River in Texas exchanged gunfire with people on the Mexican side of the border last week while working with other federal agencies, the service confirmed.

The initial gunshots came from the Mexican side, and Coast Guard personnel returned fire, service officials said Friday. The exchange occurred Saturday while federal agencies conducted “joint interdiction operations” near Garceno, a small town along the border in Starr County.

The Coast Guard said it is investigating the incident alongside federal partners.

“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 launched Operation River Wall roughly one year ago, providing boats and troops to patrol the river between the U.S. and Mexico. At that time, the Coast Guard said its troops would focus on 260 miles of water within the Rio Grande Valley.

Its personnel work closely with Border Patrol, the Defense Department 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 service said.

Their work is in addition to deployments of federal military troops within the Defense Department and state-sponsored work from the Texas National Guard.

The Defense Department’s lead on its piece of the border security mission, U.S. Northern Command, said Friday it has repositioned hundreds of troops and their equipment to the Rio Grande Valley.

Joint Task Force-Southern Border said this is “part of planned preparations to address historically observed seasonal increases in attempted illegal activity.”

“The Sept. 26 Coast Guard encounter is an example of this uptick in illegal activity,” the task force said in a statement.

Adding the troops will increase patrol capacity and provide additional monitoring and detections capabilities in support of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the task force said.

The Rio Grande Valley historically has been one of the busiest sectors for migrants crossing into the U.S. between ports of entry. Customs and Border Protection reported the most land encounters with migrants there in fiscal year 2026 with more than 19,500, according to statistics available through August.

That is down 43% from the year prior.