The sheriff of Webb County warned people within his jurisdiction to not cross into the Mexican town of Nuevo Laredo, which sits just across the Rio Grande River from Laredo, Texas, as Mexican police have been engaged in gun battles with the cartel.
"Attention: Please do not cross to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas right now. We have information that there have been intensive shootings between cartel members and Tamaulipas State Police. These shootings have been going on for hours now," Sheriff Martin Cuellar wrote on Facebook.
"Please avoid these areas and do not cross over to Nuevo Laredo. It’s been said that high-caliber machine guns and explosives are being utilized. They are highjacking vehicles and disturbing the peace," he explained. "Our prayers go out to the citizens of Nuevo Laredo."
The Laredo Morning Times reported three suspected cartel members were killed in gun battles with police that lasted from Tuesday to Wednesday. The cartel gunmen were using pickup trucks to attack state police.
“Information is still developing and details are being confirmed with regards to the confrontations happening in our Sister City,” the Laredo Police Department said in a statement. “As always, the City of Laredo is safe and all U.S. law enforcement agencies are focused on the developments that escalated this afternoon in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. We recommend that anyone needing to travel into Nuevo Laredo keep their attention on the U.S. Consulate's travel advisories which are posted on Facebook, Twitter and the consulate's website."
As Townhall reported in November, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have to guard 171 miles of American border with no wall of any kind, with only the Rio Grande River providing some sort of a barrier.