US border agents and officers put on alert of cartel kidnapping plot
Federal law enforcement authorities have reason to believe a Mexican cartel is looking to kidnap federal law enforcement in western Texas, prompting agents and officers to be on guard, three employees at U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.
TL;DR
- Federal law enforcement in western Texas is on alert due to intelligence suggesting a Mexican cartel plans to kidnap federal agents.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees were notified that smugglers intend to target CBP personnel in El Paso and Presidio.
- CBP stated it maintains proactive intelligence on threats and diligently vets information with partners.
- Previous threats include bounties placed on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Chicago and Coast Guard personnel being fired upon from Mexico.
- Violence from cross-border crime rings has increased due to pressure on Mexico to halt migrant flows.