On Sept. 26, Coast Guard personnel traded shots with individuals on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border near Garceno, a small town in Starr County, Texas. The clash occurred during joint operations that drew in several federal agencies.
According to officials, shots first rang out from the Mexican side of the border before Coast Guard personnel answered with their own fire. Neither Coast Guard nor any other personnel were hurt, and no Coast Guard property or gear suffered damage.
The Shots Fired
During joint operations involving several federal agencies, officials said the first shots came from the Mexican side before Coast Guard personnel answered.
What the Ambassador Said
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 will talk directly with U.S. forces on the ground, and both sides “intend to patrol both sides of our shared border, protect our communities, and disrupt the operations of criminal and terrorist organizations.”.
He made the point “Any threat from criminal or terrorist elements on either side of the border will be addressed swiftly.”, stating it directly.
“Mexican military commanders will communicate directly with the U.S. forces deployed.”
Operation River Wall
In October 2025, the Coast Guard initiated Operation River Wall by sending more personnel, vessels and other resources to patrol the Rio Grande. The effort centers on roughly 260 miles of the river running alongside the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Coast Guard said it was collaborating with Border Patrol, the Pentagon and the Texas Military Department.
The Troop Buildup
U.S. forces and their gear moved to Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, while on the other side of the border, hundreds of Mexican Army and National Guard personnel took up positions. The buildup on each side followed a familiar sequence:
- U.S. forces and their gear moved to Texas’ Rio Grande Valley.
- Hundreds of Mexican Army and National Guard personnel took up positions on the other side of the border.
The military’s reason for sending troops was “historically observed seasonal increases in attempted illegal activity”, according to the U.S. military itself.
Who Fired First
It is unclear who fired the initial shots.
The Joint Task Force Response
In a statement, the Joint Task Force-Southern Border said that the Sept. 26 Coast Guard encounter is “an example of this uptick in illegal activity.”.
The Coast Guard is investigating the incident alongside federal partners.
What This Means
The firefight signals a rise in unlawful behavior. The Joint Task Force’s presentation treats the exchange as proof of that pattern, though it leaves unresolved the question of which side opened fire first.
The Coast Guard’s investigation will determine whether the response was justified.
The Stakes
There is a great deal of activity at the border. Groups of people moving northward from Honduras keep arriving in the area.
The corridor gets a fresh layer of pressure from the firefight. Federal partners are taking part in the Coast Guard investigation. The Joint Task Force-Southern Border views the meeting as proof of growing unlawful conduct.
Neither framework settles the matter of which side opened fire first. The question stays open.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither side’s claim of first fire and instead backs an open accounting of who fired first, so that judgment rests upon evidence rather than assertion. The story describes shots traded between Coast Guard personnel and individuals on the Mexican side of the border near Garceno, Texas, but it does not settle the order in which those shots were fired. That uncertainty is itself worth noting, because assertions of first fire carry weight in how incidents are treated.
Operation River Wall, launched in October 2025, has drawn more personnel and vessels along the Rio Grande, and joint operations involving the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, the Pentagon and the Texas Military Department have followed. A troop buildup on both sides of the border has brought U.S. forces and Mexican Army and National Guard personnel into close proximity, and the firefight on Sept. 26 happened within that context. The military’s stated reason for sending troops was “historically observed seasonal increases in attempted illegal activity,” but the firefight itself remains unattributed.
The paper wants the investigation to produce a clear account of the sequence of events, not just a conclusion that fits a preexisting narrative about unlawful conduct. The stakes are high for border communities on both sides, and the corridor already carries pressure from groups of people moving northward from Honduras.
Source material: “Coast Guard personnel exchange gunfire with shooters across US-Mexico border,” Fox News.
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