Border gunfire as smugglers target officers

Homeland Security has detected several instances of people with guns sneaking into the United States from Mexico, including a case where officers attempting to arrest a group of illegal immigrants were twice fired upon.

None of the officers were injured and the shooter – along with the group of illegal immigrants – fled to Mexico, but the August 18 incident alarmed Border Patrol, which said they were seeing an “escalation” of the level of violence.

This foray took place in the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area, a rugged California terrain often used by groups of migrants.

A few days later, National Guard troops tasked with assisting Border Patrol were using a scope to survey the wilderness and spotted an armed person breaching the border fence.

A day later, two other armed people were spotted at the same location.

The Border Patrol Tactical Response Team was deployed but reported “negative results,” the agency said in a statement. No gunshots were reported during these incursions.

But during that of August 18, the officers faced two volleys of gunfire.

The first sounded as an officer was about to arrest a group of migrants. Border Patrol said there were “several shots fired”.

Other responding officers said they saw muzzle flashes coming from near where the migrant group was. Moments later, another volley of gunfire landed on them, and they were forced to take cover as the group – and presumably the shooter – rushed towards Mexico.

The tactical response team was deployed but did not find anyone or weapons.

“These incidents and individuals pose a significant danger to officers patrolling the area as well as migrants attempting to enter illegally,” said Patricia McGurk-Daniel, Border Patrol San Diego Area Chief Officer. .

Reports of armed incursions were more frequent around the turn of the century and during the administration of George W. Bush, as the United States began to fortify the border to derail what was at the time the worst wave of migrants of United States history.

Things calmed down during some years of the Obama administration and the Trump years.

Today, as the border sees another wave of chaos under President Biden, Chief McGurk-Daniel said the armed incursions signal the Border Patrol is going after the business of the smuggling cartels.

“Our officers are preventing smugglers from carrying out their illicit activities and this is their very dangerous response,” the chief said. “This insensitive demonstration clearly shows that smugglers do not care about the safety of migrants or law enforcement. »