Shots Fired at the Coast Guard on the Rio Grande. Reinforcing the Valley Is the Right Call
Coast Guard personnel exchanged gunfire with shooters on the Mexican side on Sept. 26, and Northern Command has moved hundreds of troops to the Rio Grande Valley in what it calls planned seasonal preparations. In our view, reinforcing the people who guard the border was the right decision.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Senior Features Writer | October 5, 2026 | 6-min read On a Saturday last month on the Rio Grande, someone on the Mexican side of the river opened fire on U.S. Coast Guard personnel. The Coast Guard fired back. Nobody was hurt, thank God. But the message was plain: the people who guard our border are working in a place where they can be shot at. Days later, Northern Command said it had sent hundreds more troops to the Rio Grande Valley, a move it calls planned preparation for a seasonal rise in illegal activity. In our view, reinforcing the people who work that river was the right decision. Key Takeaways On Sept. 26, during joint interdiction operations near Garceno in Starr County, Texas, shots came from the Mexican side and Coast Guard personnel returned fire. No injuries or damage were reported [1]. U.S. Northern Command says it has moved "hundreds of troops" and equipment to the Rio Grande Valley, part of planned preparations for a seasonal rise in illegal activity [1]. The shooters have been described only as people on the Mexican side of the border. The Coast Guard says it is investigating with federal partners [1]. This is not a story about a single firefight. It is a story about what our Coast Guard, Border Patrol and troops can face on the river, and whether Washington will back them. In our view, it did, and it should keep doing so. What Happened According to Stars and Stripes, Coast Guard personnel were working with other federal agencies on the Rio Grande when "the initial gunshots came from the Mexican side, and Coast Guard personnel returned fire" [1]. The exchange took place on Saturday, Sept. 26, during "joint interdiction operations" near Garceno, a small town in Starr County [1]. The Coast Guard said: "No injuries to Coast Guard or other personnel were reported, and no damage to Coast Guard assets or equipment was reported" [1]. It is investigating the incident alongside federal partners [1]. Stars and St…