Escalation: Trump to send ARMED U.S. troops to border after incident with Mexican soldiers
By Jon Dougherty
Following an incident involving a pair of lightly armed U.S. soldiers and a squad of more heavily-armed Mexican troops in Texas earlier this month, POTUS Donald Trump announced Wednesday that in the future, American soldiers will also carry additional arms.
In addition, the president opined that perhaps the Mexican troops were not really interested in securing their country’s border as they were assisting a drug cartel.
“Mexico’s Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the Border. Better not happen again! We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border. Mexico is not doing nearly enough in apprehending & returning!” the commander-in-chief tweeted.
Mexico’s Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the Border. Better not happen again! We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border. Mexico is not doing nearly enough in apprehending & returning!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 24, 2021
It is certainly plausible that Mexican soldiers would be assisting cartels, we don’t yet know. But, as we reported Tuesday, the incident led the Pentagon to reexamine the rules of engagement for American soldiers deployed along the U.S., very likely per the president’s instructions.
As we reported earlier this week, in an incident that had troubling international implications, especially given the tension among Americans regarding illegal immigration, officials with U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) said on Saturday that a squad of armed Mexican troops detained U.S. soldiers for a brief period earlier this month on American soil.
NORTHCOM told CNN the incident happened in the afternoon on April 13; the U.S. personnel were conducting routine surveillance, according to the command.
“On April 13, 2019, at approximately 2 p.m. CDT, five to six Mexican military personnel questioned two U.S. Army soldiers who were conducting border support operations in an unmarked [Customs and Border Protection] vehicle near the southwest border in the vicinity of Clint, Texas,” NORTHCOM said in a statement.
During the incident, the Mexican troops — all armed — ordered the two U.S. soldiers, a sergeant and a private, out of an unmarked vehicle. NORTHCOM said the Mexican soldiers pointed their weapons at the U.S. troops and detained them for a period of time.
On Wednesday, Trump accused Mexican authorities not just of ignoring the rising smuggling problem, but of actively facilitating “coyotes and cartels” conducting illegal border-jumping operations.
Meanwhile, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was “conciliatory,” reports Bloomberg, and promised, in response to President Trump’s concern, that the incident will be fully investigated.
“We are going to review the case, take into account what he is pointing out and assure him that we will always have a responsible attitude and respect for the government and people of the United States,” Lopez Obrador said during a press conference on Wednesday.
It’s not likely that the Mexican government will do any more than the bare minimum to step up security of its own border. Because the cartels’ influence is so pervasive, they literally control wide swaths of the country.
As for the president’s threat to up-arm U.S. troops, we concluded:
Mind you, the demarcation line and border sectors are well-known to both U.S. and Mexican military personnel.
While this encounter ended without incident, the fallout from an actual confrontation with an exchange of gunfire and casualties is incalculable. Diplomacy aside, it’s hard to imagine that POTUS Donald Trump, who has no doubt been briefed about this incident, would not respond by ordering additional U.S. troops to the border with orders to ‘protect and defend’ the country.
And give them the means to do so.
Editor’s note: An earlier story on this incident claimed that the two soldiers briefly captured by Mexican troops were ‘regular Army.’ The president says they were National Guard soldiers and we are inclined to believe him since he issued the orders. Our source reports were not clear on whether the troops detained were Guard or Active Duty, so we went with the latter. We issuing this clarification based on what we now know.
- Follow Jon Dougherty on Twitter at @JonDougherty10
Be the first to receive our latest video reports: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel by clicking here and pro-liberty video platform Brighteon by clicking here
how was this not an act of war? they knew there were on our side. also the other story where ‘heavily armed’ men escorted illegals over the border at 10pm at night??? enough already.
No, he won’t this is just staged cover for the current throttling of the UN invasion of the US. Trump refuses to do anything significant to protect the US.
In reply to Anne, yes, this is an act of war, ANOTHER act of war. We have been at war for quite a while now. When did it start? Who knows or can remember. To yo mama: Trump is just one cog on that big wheel called the Government. We have so many special interest politicians that are greedily seeking a piece of the pie, the corruption is so deep, its like on onion, you just keep peeling layer after corrupt layer. All our elected “Servants of the people” are self serving, and are only trying to steer a train… Read more »
And the debacle CONTINUES…and ANOTHER “super caravan” of un-vaccinated invaders approaches from the south; which we know will eventually be admitted like all the rest. Town-populations worth of illegals quietly distributed into our communities for us to support with our tax dollars. The National Guard surrendered to a literal Mexican invasion on the border and the militia men are the only Americans who actually turn any illegal aliens back…and the FBI arrests the militia men instead of the illegal aliens! And further still…WHERE IS THE FRIGGING WALL?
How would it be different if Hillary had won?
They have to get the fenatyl and crystal meth over the border somehow, so they use the Mexican military and law enforcement organs… that is when the armed cartels aren’t doing the job themselves. Dumbocraps/RINOs/Libertariantards think open borders are normal and want it to continue unabated. They’re obviously taking bribes, addicted to the product, or both imo. Take your pick.
[…] After Mexican Military mistakenly confronted US troops on the US side of the border and demanded the… […]
Nothing will concentrate Obrador’s mind like a couple of dead Mexican soldiers’ bodies hung
on a barbed wire fence near the river.
Trump has no plans or any real desire to stop the chaos on the border. Either he’s too scared or too stupid to stop the illegals or he doesn’t want to. I believe the later. He had help in NM with a state militia group but he allowed the FBI to decapitate them. He could have state militias in every border state if he wanted too but Trump is too cowardly or too fearful. He is just a constant mouth that keeps moving and does nothing about his main promise. It just gets worse under him. He fights against the… Read more »
Close the damned border to everyone without documents. How hard is that?
[…] By JonDougherty at The National Sentinel […]
[…] By JonDougherty at The National Sentinel […]
Our soldiers should have turned around and gotten into their vehicle and drove away.
There’s no way the Mexicans would have should our soldiers and if that had the consequences to Mexico would be Severe.
And as Trump would say if Mexico persists, “I’ll huff and puff and blow your house down. I may even close the border. I will cancel NAFTA and replace it with USMCA. I might get mad. I will get back to you later. I love your Mexican presidente. We do need more illegals to do the work the average American will not do. I really will get mad at you.”
Put armed troops on the border and shoot any Mexican armed bastard that sets one foot on U.S. soil. Why are the military Generals in the Pentagon not doing anything about this? All we have in the Pentagon are a bunch of military weenies waiting around for their retirement with big salary and benefits.
Yet another reason to NOT visit Mexico or buy their stuff…. There are much nicer places in the Caribbean to visit where their main business is not shipping illegals and illegal drugs into our country. Even Colombia has turned this corner.
Trump is full of schit. He’s nothing, but a trick, another George Bush The Treasury Secretary will get him by the ear lobe and he will back down again, just like last time. If he does seal the border, he will back off it in two weeks. He’s a weak Mary and the whole world knows it now. Year three and America is just about over, done, stick a fork in this country. 1,400 illegals a day are bankrupting the nation and destroying what’s left of our country. Trump does nothing, but hide behind some wall. I know. Why don’t… Read more »
There should be no US ground forces, whether regular Army/Marines, National Guard, Customs, Border Patrol, or otherwise, within 10 miles of the border without a QRF and air assets ready to deploy immediately to support them. There should have been drone’s already in the air, helo’s 10-15 minutes away, and “Air Cav” or “Marine Raider” type forces available to deploy by air on a moment’s notice. True, combat develops rapidly, and a QRF and other rapid deployment forces do not guarantee that American troops won’t take casualties should they be involved in a border skirmish again in the future. However,… Read more »
“We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border. ”
So they will have live ammo in their weapons next time ?
I understand that these men were not National Guard. They were members of an artillery battalion of the U.S. Army. Everyone, especially the Mexicans, knew EXACTLY where the border was, even if the riverbed was dried up.
There is room for Abrams tanks to maneuver on the south side of the fence. We should use them, armed with live ammo.
.
President Trump has proven to be a gigantic disappointment and totally inadequate. My extreme distaste and utter disdain for all things Democrat has extended the President every conceivable opportunity, but he has proved unwillingly and unable to take control of our border, presiding instead over the slow death of America. 1,400 illegals a day that we actually process continue to enter the country. There are no other issues! We are suffocating and drowning in third world garbage and sewage. The last time he swore to take control of the border he allowed the Treasury Secretary buzzing market catastrophe in his… Read more »