Mexican cartels authorize members to fire on Border Patrol

The Border Patrol warned its agents that drug cartels indicated to their members that they can shoot at U.S. uniformed officers, according to an internal agency message in the El Paso, Texas, sector, picked up by NewsNation.

The cartels are reportedly breaking with the tradition of not attacking the patrol in order to prevent it from stepping up its efforts to disrupt their illegal operations in response. The recent alert warns uniformed personnel to remain vigilant and approach drug trafficking operations with extreme caution.

The change of order would be linked to the arrest in the United States of two leaders of the Sinaloa cartel. The arrest of Ismael El Mayo Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López in July triggered an internal war between factions of the organization. Violent clashes between those loyal to El Mayo (Los Mayos) and the sons of Chapo Guzman (Los Chapitos) sowed the streets of Mexico with violence, violence that has also started germinating at the border.

The warning to border agents relates an episode that occurred a few days earlier: contractors working in the border sector of Del Rio reported that they had been shot at from the Mexican side of the border. No injuries were reported.