CBP Warns 'Assailants May Wear Mexican Military Uniforms' While Attempting To Shoot At Agents To Collect $10,000 Bounties

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) warned agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector that cartels are offering $10,000 to people who shoot at them in the southern border.

According to NewsNation, the agency noted that "assailants may wear Mexican military uniforms to avoid raising suspicion while carrying long arms or machine guns" when issuing an alert.

"While this threat specifically pertains to the RGV Sector, it reflects heightened cartel frustrations that could extend across the southwest border," the document adds.

As a result, the document noted, "agents should remain aware of the potential threat and maintain heightened vigilance of their surroundings while conducting operations."

The development comes shortly after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed to be aware of $50,000 bounties for the assassination of senior officials. The organizations also offered between $5,000 and $10,000 for kidnappings or non-lethal assaults, and $2,000 for doxxing or gathering intelligence on agents.

The department said the bounty system is part of "an organized campaign of terror against federal law enforcement."

"These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law — they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in the agency's statement. "Our agents are facing ambushes, drone surveillance, and death threats, all because they dare to enforce the laws passed by Congress. We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice."

According to the department, cartel-linked networks have deployed "spotters" — individuals stationed on rooftops in neighborhoods such as Chicago's Pilsen and Little Village — who are equipped with firearms and radio communications to track the real-time movements of ICE and CBP agents.

DHS also alleges that sympathetic domestic groups have provided logistical support, including doxxing federal personnel and staging protests designed to obstruct enforcement operations.

However, a former Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) official claimed in October that the allegation is false and would seek to justify the deployment of more U.S. army forces in the streets.

Speaking to Infobae, Mike Vigil, former top DEA official, said "the statement is not true." "It is absolutely absurd because neither ICE nor CBP are a threat to cartels, and if they took action against them they would be in trouble. It's absurd that cartels are focusing on them because many agencies in the U.S., including the DEA, are only focused in migrants," he added.