United States Customs and Border Patrol has urged agents to “exercise extreme caution” and be on the lookout for improvised explosive devices.
The warning comes after the Mexican military seized 10 IEDs on its side of the southern border earlier this week.
“Agents should exercise extreme caution and should report any possible armed subjects approaching the border with possible explosive devices,” CBP wrote in a memo to agents, per Fox News.
According to the outlet, the incident that spurred the memo took place on Wednesday at a ranch near the Sasabe crossing in Pima County, Arizona.
Border agents are getting warned about improvised explosive devices
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) December 15, 2023
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Agents on the American side arrested a man armed with a loaded AK-47, two loaded AK magazines, loose rounds, and a handgun after shots were heard on the other side of the fence from what turned out to be a cartel gunfight.
Mexican authorities soon arrived on scene, and members of the nation’s military discovered the 10 IEDs, which were reportedly filled with black powder and shrapnel.
As Fox News‘ Hillary Vaughn reports, a gap in the the ranch’s fence has been used by cartels to smuggle drugs, and people, into the US. The situation has degraded recently, with rival gangs engaging in a turf war over the site in hopes of controlling access to it.
In an interview with Maria Bartiromo, she emphasized that there was no evidence to indicate that the cartels had attached any of the IEDs to migrants or that they planned on using them against border patrol agents, adding that the devices never made it to the American side.
Vaughn warned nonetheless that the discovery should be taken as a warning that cartels will go to any lengths to continue their operations.
The news comes as the Biden administration has refused to take responsibility for the crisis at the southern border. Congressional Republicans have pushed for border closures and demand a stop to illegal immigration. More than 7 million people have crossed illegally into the US since Biden took office. When they are caught they are given a court date to appear years into the future and are released into the US.
