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Firefights on the Border
Despite a security crackdown launched a month ago in several Mexican cities along the U.S. border, the area was once again the scene of deadly gunbattles during the past week between Mexican security forces and heavily armed members of the Gulf drug cartel. A long firefight in several parts of Rio Bravo on Jan. 7 left at least three people dead and several security personnel wounded. The following day in the nearby city of Reynosa, just across the border from McAllen, Texas, a gunbattle outside a hotel left two federal agents dead. Cartel members reportedly used assault rifles, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades during the gunbattles.
The incidents underscore the extent to which Mexico’s drug violence has the potential to affect the United States. U.S. authorities have stepped up security at border crossings and medical facilities out of concern that wounded cartel members would seek medical treatment in the United States. Moreover, three of the 10 suspects detained following the shootouts in Rio Bravo were reported to be U.S. residents, or possibly U.S. citizens. Mexican drug cartels commonly use Hispanic gangs in the United States to transport drugs to market in various U.S. cities. The fact that these suspects were arrested in Mexico highlights the potential for cross-border violence to increase. Additionally, there are concerns that large amounts of drugs and cash are being stored in a series of safe houses in Texas operated by the Gulf cartel.
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