Coast Guard personnel exchanged gunfire with people on the Mexican side of the Mexico–United States border on Sept. 26 during joint operations near Garceno in Starr County, Texas. The Coast Guard said it was intercepting migrants crossing the Rio Grande River when the initial shots came from the Mexican side.
The Coast Guard later returned fire. No injuries to Coast Guard or other personnel were reported, and no damage to Coast Guard assets or equipment was reported.
Garceno and Starr County
The exchange unfolded near Garceno in Starr County, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, where federal agencies were carrying out joint operations near the river. The Coast Guard said it was investigating the incident alongside federal partners while its forces continued to focus on approximately 260 miles of the Rio Grande along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Coast Guard also said it was working closely with Border Patrol, the Pentagon and the Texas Military Department to secure the border, disrupt illicit activity and protect the American people. In October 2025, the Coast Guard launched Operation River Wall and deployed additional personnel, boats and other assets to patrol the river between the United States and Mexico.
Ronald Johnson and Mexico
Ronald Johnson, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, said the embassy is helping to coordinate with Mexican forces that are being deployed in the border area where shots were fired against elements of the United States Coast Guard. Johnson said, “Mexican military commanders will communicate directly with the U.S. forces deployed.”
Johnson said, “Together, we intend to patrol both sides of our shared border, protect our communities, and disrupt the operations of criminal and terrorist organizations.” He added, “Any threat from criminal or terrorist elements on either side of the border will be addressed swiftly.”
United States response
The U.S. military later cited the incident as an example of increased illegal activity, and the response widened on both sides of the border. Hundreds of U.S. troops and their equipment were repositioned to Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, while 500 Mexican Army and National Guard personnel were deployed to Mexico's side of the border.
The Coast Guard said, “We will continue to leverage a layered, integrated approach to control, secure and defend the border that strengthens our collective ability to counter illicit activity and safeguard our personnel and the communities we serve,” while investigators work with federal partners. What evidence Mexico accepts about who fired first will shape how the two countries treat the Sept. 26 exchange near Garceno.
