A gunman ambushed Border Patrol agents at an annex building in McAllen, Texas Monday morning. At least two police officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured.
In a statement to Fox News, the Department of Homeland Security said both Border Patrol agents and local police helped neutralize the shooter.
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. Two officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured, including one shot in the knee. All three have gone to the hospital. This is an ongoing investigation led by the FBI.
In a separate incident, several suspects were arrested after a police officer was injured in a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, in the late-night hours of the Fourth of July, officials said.
McAllen Police Chief Victory Rodriguez said at a news conference that there were “many dozens” of rounds fired at the building and the agents inside. The gunman did not enter the building, he said.
“Border Patrol agents returned fire and subsequently neutralized, that is killed, the person that had opened fire upon the building,” Chief Rodriguez said.
The gunman was identified as Ryan Louis Mosqueda, 27, the police said. His last known address was in Ludington, Mich., but he had connections to Weslaco, Texas, about 16 miles east of McAllen, The New York Times reported.
Related: Border Patrol Applications Hit Record High – Everyone Wants To Be A Border Agent Now!
A federal law enforcement source told CBS News Saturday that local police arrested eight people. The official said some of those apprehended were wearing body armor.
The source told CBS News that early reports indicate that more than a dozen masked individuals dressed in black arrived at the Prairieland ICE detention facility late Friday night and vandalized vehicles and security cameras in the parking lot.
The individuals launched fireworks in an apparent effort to lure law enforcement, the source said.
“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,” Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a social media post. “The Department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible.”
The attacks came as congressional Democrats were ramping up the rhetoric and stirring up a dangerous mob by referring to agents as Nazis and terrorists.
“Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough … [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,” one lawmaker told Axios.
Related: Here Are The Violent Criminals ICE Agents Were Attacked For Arresting
Another House Democrat said constituents have told them “civility isn’t working” and to prepare for “violence … to fight to protect our democracy.”
Syndicated with permission from ToddStarnes.com – founded by best-selling author and journalist Todd Starnes. Starnes is the recipient of an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award and the Associated Press Mark Twain Award for Storytelling.