Border patrol agents have been warned to be vigilant after Mexico’s military seized ten improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the border with Arizona as the US continues to see a surge of migrants.
In an internal officer safety alert seen by Fox Business, border agents were told to ‘exercise extreme caution and report any possible armed subjects with possible explosive devices.’
It comes after Mexican officials found the IEDs on Wednesday after being alerted by US officials to a cartel turf war gunfight south of the border. The cartels are reportedly fighting for control of a gap in the border wall used for drug and human smuggling.
Prior to the IEDs finding, US authorities had arrested a man on the US side who was armed with a loaded AK-47 rifle, two loaded AK magazines, loose rounds and a handgun.
The man reportedly told border patrol agents about 11 armed suspects nearby. As agents heard gunfire coming from the Mexico side, the pulled back – before the Mexican military found the 10 explosive devices filled with shrapnel and black powder.
Border agents were told to ‘exercise extreme caution’ after Mexico ‘s military seized ten improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the southern border
In September, border patrol agents found an abandoned backpack stuffed with a cannonball-sized IEDs and ammunition.
Border patrol agents have previously reporting encountering migrants carrying IEDs.
In September, border patrol agents found an abandoned backpack stuffed with a cannonball-sized IEDs and ammunition, as reported by News Nation. There were no migrants found at the scene.
In May, US officials found an IED at the Arizona point of entry. The device was used made an M&M container wrapped with electrical tape.
Human smugglers have been recently using a remote part of the Arizona desert to get migrants to the US.
A shift in smuggling routes has brought an influx of migrants here from countries as diverse as Senegal, Bangladesh and China, prompting the Border Patrol to seek help from other federal agencies and drawing scrutiny to an issue critical in next year’s presidential elections.
With hundreds of migrants crossing daily in the area, the U.S. government last week indefinitely shut down the nearby international crossing between Lukeville, Arizona, and Sonoyta, Mexico, to free Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the port of entry to help with transportation and other support.
The agency also has partially closed a few other border ports of entry in recent months, including a pedestrian crossing in San Diego and a bridge in Eagle Pass, Texas.
US authorities have been so short-handed in Arizona that they have used charter flights to transfer some migrants from Tucson to three Texas border cities for processing, according Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that analyzes flight data.
In May, US officials found an IED at the Arizona point of entry. The device was used made an M&M container wrapped with electrical tape
Human smugglers have been recently using a remote part of the Arizona desert to get migrants to the US
Heading into next year’s presidential elections, the border is a top issue for voters, especially Republicans, and immigration issues could be a liability for Biden, a Democrat, as he runs for reelection.
A national AP-NORC poll conducted in November found about half of U.S. adults say increasing security at the U.S.-Mexico border should be a ‘high priority’ for the federal government, with 3 in 10 calling it a ‘moderate priority.’ Republicans were more likely than Democrats to call it a high priority.
Additional funding for border security has been held up in Congress over a package to provide additional aid to Israel and Ukraine in their wars against Hamas and Russia.
Migrant encounters at the open southern border hit their highest ever single day total last Tuesday, as an astounding 12,000 people flooded across the border into the US.
The last year of the Biden presidency has seen the highest ever number of migrant encounters at 2.4million. September had the highest ever monthly rate of illegal crosser-encounters at 260,000.