Mexico asks US for evidence of alleged border shooting
President Claudia Sheinbaum says Mexican forces detected no shots from Mexican territory, as both countries deploy personnel to the border.
Mexico has asked the United States for evidence of an alleged shooting targeting US Coast Guard personnel near the border, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday. She said Mexico’s National Guard, Army and Navy had detected no shots fired from Mexican territory.
US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said the incident occurred in late September in Texas, across from Tamaulipas. He wrote that Coast Guard personnel had been fired upon and that US and Mexican forces were coordinating patrols. The claim has not been independently verified in the source material.
About 500 US troops, along with helicopters, drones and anti-drone equipment, have been sent to the border since the alleged shooting. Mexico has also deployed forces under Operation Mirror, a joint operation to secure the frontier. Sheinbaum said Mexico’s deployment was intended to forestall potential problems.
The dispute comes amid wider friction over security cooperation and Mexican sovereignty. Sheinbaum has opposed possible US military strikes against cartels in Mexico, saying such an operation would violate the country’s sovereignty.
She also criticised Johnson for announcing an international police academy in Querétaro without the federal government’s knowledge. She said foreign activity on Mexican soil requires federal approval under the Mexican constitution.
