The situation at the southern border could become more perilous after leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Mexico instructed its drug traffickers to open fire on U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed in the area.
The revelation came from an internal federal memo shared with NewsNation. An officer-safety report based on information from the FBI cautioned that CJNG operatives in Mexico have received instructions to shoot across the international line at Border Patrol personnel. The cartel is reportedly focusing primarily on agents in the San Diego, California sector as possible targets.
#EXCLUSIVE “CJNG instructs members to attack CBP personnel at the Mexico-U.S. border” —New threat from the CJNG cartel—An alert went out to Border Patrol specifically in the San Diego Sector saying, “According to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reporting, Cartel de Jalisco… pic.twitter.com/3GmG5b4mCL
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) February 6, 2026
CJNG is one of Mexico’s most powerful and vicious cartels. It is involved in drug trafficking and other criminal activities. It is known for its military-style tactics and over-the-top brutality in controlling its territory and smuggling routes.
The memo said CJNG operatives have been instructed to position themselves on the Mexican side of the border and fire on Border Patrol agents conducting operations along the border. The alert suggests the cartel has even authorized attacks outside of its typical territory to prompt U.S. authorities to take action against competing cartels.
Retired Border Patrol sector chief Chris Klein told NewsNation that the threat is part of an inter-cartel conflict with various groups trying to shift blame on their opponents. He suggested it is not necessarily aimed at trying to challenge the United States.
There have been several clashes between Mexican cartels and U.S. Border Patrol. In January 2025, cartel members exchanged gunfire with agents near Fronton, Texas as a group of illegal immigrants tried to cross through the Rio Grande corridor, Fox 26 Houston reported.
Cartel members opened fire on the agents, who returned fire. There were no injuries. Fox News reported that other such incidents have occurred as immigration enforcement has ramped up on the southern border.
Adding to the drama is an October 2025 bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showing that Mexican drug cartels launched a “structured bounty program” in which the organizations offer $2,000 for doxing and spying on ICE and Border Patrol officers, $5,000-$10,000 for kidnappings and non-lethal assaults, and up to $50,000 for assassinating senior immigration enforcement officials, according to ABC News.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the cartels are “waging an organized campaign of terror” against federal immigration authorities, but that the United States “will not back down from these threats.”