Roy said that the knowledge that cartels own drones with weapon capabilities 'open[s] up a whole other frontier that we've got to manage and deal with border security.'
Mexican cartels fire at Border Patrol agents near Fronton, Texas
A group of suspected Mexican cartel members fired shots at U.S. Border Patrol agents on Monday afternoon as a group of migrants attempted to cross the Rio Grande. (CREDIT: Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez)
After drone video footage surfaced of an apparent cartel-on-cartel gunfight just south of the U.S. border with Mexico, Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas is calling attention to the danger still present at the border.
The footage, which Roy obtained from sources on the border, was taken by a cartel drone and shows two sets of vehicles exchanging gunfire near the U.S. border. Video taken by the drone shows the operator eventually drop some type of missile, seeming to eliminate shooters on one side.
I was sent this video from friends at the border. It has NOT BEEN CORROBORATED but it shows what appears to be cartel on cartel battles in Mexico. The drone drops an explosive toward a “Monstro” (cartel armored vehicle). The audio appears to be from cartel operatives. pic.twitter.com/TBR3XvR8og
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) February 3, 2025
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Roy said that the knowledge that cartels own drones with weapon capabilities "open[s] up a whole other frontier that we've got to manage and deal with border security."
"Seeing that and adding it into what we know about the extent to which the cartels are heavily armed and have significant resources… it is indicative of the kind of danger that we're talking about," said Roy.
U.S. Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas last week. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
This comes just days after U.S. Border Patrol agents exchanged gunfire with suspected cartel members near the U.S.-Mexican border in Fronton, Texas.
"We're seeing more of that," said Roy.
He noted that as President Donald Trump and his administration take major steps to crack down on illegal immigration and migrant crime within the U.S., he "would expect the cartels to flex more muscle in Mexico," requiring the U.S. to work more closely with Mexican authorities to quash any increase in violence.
"They recognize now that they've got a United States of America that is serious," he said. "My guess is they're not stupid enough to have the kind of overt aggression across our border… I’d speculate that they're going to try to manipulate a great deal of the police and military forces in Mexico."
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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after the last votes before the August recess on Thursday, July 25, 2024 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In response, Roy said he expects Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will move to "work in good faith with Mexico to strengthen their ability to have the rule of law and root out cartels."
The congressman, who has introduced legislation to designate cartels "foreign terrorist organizations," said that Trump’s executive order to do the same is an important step to rooting out the cartel problem both in the U.S. and Mexico.
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"This administration has already had more presence at the border than the entirety of the four years of the Biden administration… The cartels now know that you have a president in the country that means business, and they’re probably trying to figure out what their positioning needs to be."
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) declined to comment on the drone footage.
A CBP spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "threats and assaults against CBP personnel are taken very seriously."
"We remain vigilant and stand ready to ensure the safety of our personnel, aliens, and local communities, and the security of our borders," said the spokesperson.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
