Roughly 500 troops are deploying to Texas’ Rio Grande Valley this week, sources confirmed to NewsNation, as federal forces increase border operations following a shooting involving the Coast Guard.
Video obtained by NewsNation shows troops being transported by Chinook helicopters and dropped onto islands in the sector.
Coast Guard personnel come under gunfire
The deployment comes days after Coast Guard personnel came under fire from suspected cartel members along the Rio Grande.
The Coast Guard said personnel with Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande encountered gunfire from the Mexican border near Garceno, Texas, on Saturday while conducting joint interdiction operations with federal partners. The personnel returned fire.
The agency said no Coast Guard personnel or others were injured, and no Coast Guard assets were damaged. The incident remains under investigation.
#BREAKING Law enforcement sources confirm that roughly 500 troops are deploying this week to Texas’ Rio Grande Valley —Being dropped onto islands by chinook helicopters.
It comes after suspected cartel members shot at a USCG vessel near Roma over the weekend—The coast guard… pic.twitter.com/xApDsX2RKw
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) October 2, 2026
“The Coast Guard works closely with U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of War and the Texas Military Department to secure the border, disrupt illicit activity and protect the American people,” the agency said in a statement.
The agency added that it will continue using a “layered, integrated approach” to control, secure and defend the border, while threats to its members and partners are taken “extremely seriously.”
US military faces cartel-linked drones along the border
U.S. forces are also confronting cartel-linked drones along this stretch of the border.
From August through September, the military used a high-energy laser in the Rio Grande Valley to bring down at least 11 drones linked to cartels, officials said. They said the effort supported operations involving threats to troops and Customs and Border Protection personnel.
The Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector covers more than 320 river miles, 250 coastal miles and 19 counties. Cartels pose threats by monitoring agents and troops, using drones to direct groups and smuggling drugs.
The Army said it is using every available resource to address the threats.
President Donald Trump has continued pressing Mexico to take further action, saying cartels are the “ISIS of the Western Hemisphere” and control the border.
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