A gunman was killed Monday after opening fire at federal agents at a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, authorities confirmed.
Local police and Border Patrol agents returned fire and took out the shooter after being ambushed at the entrance to the facility, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
“This morning an individual opened fire at the entrance of the United States Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen, Texas. Both Border Patrol agents and local police helped neutralize the shooter,” DHS said in a statement.
“Two officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured, including one shot in the knee. All three have gone to the hospital.”
Fox News first reported on the shooting incident.
The FBI is currently investigating the ambush. The Border Patrol’s Rio Grand Valley sector said on social media that more information will be made available.
“Praying for the safety of our Border Patrol and ICE officers. Their lives are at risk because of all the reckless lies being thrown around,” Senator Jim Banks (R., Ind.) said.
Monday’s shooting is part of a broader trend of violence against federal law enforcement as the Trump administration ramps up deportations and cracks down on illegal immigration.
Last week, a Texas police officer was shot near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Prairieland, Texas. Meanwhile, left-wing activists in Portland, Oregon continue to protest at an ICE facility in what has become a weeks-long occupation.
“We are closely monitoring the attacks on DHS detention facilities in Prairieland, TX, and Portland, OR, and are coordinating with the USAOs and our law enforcement partners. The Department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Saturday.
The Justice Department charged several activists in June for various offenses, including assaulting a federal officer and creating a hazard on federal property, in connection with the ongoing occupation in Portland.
Federal prosecutors said the activists began the protest on June 18 and have targeted the ICE facility with mortar fireworks, rocks, bricks, glass bottles, signs, and makeshift shields. The activists have repeatedly blocked the ICE building’s vehicle gate, requiring law enforcement to clear them out of the way.
Four more demonstrators faced charges last week for various offenses related to the ICE protest, including arson, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and willful depredation of government property, the Justice Department announced.
Those activities against ICE followed violent riots against federal agents in Los Angeles that took place for several days earlier in June. The rioters obstructed federal law enforcement, shut down traffic, damaged government vehicles, burned self driving cars, and committed acts of vandalism in downtown Los Angeles.
Against the wishes of California Democrats, President Trump quickly mobilized thousands of national guard troops and 700 Marines to assist overwhelmed local law enforcement and quell the violence.