Roughly 500 troops are being dropped onto islands in the Rio Grande by Chinook helicopters, days after suspected cartel gunmen opened fire on a US Coast Guard crew from the Mexican side of the river.
The deployment figure comes from sources who confirmed it to NewsNation, which also obtained video of the Chinook drops. Officials have not put a number on it publicly. Breitbart reports the size and duration are being withheld for operational security, with troops expected to stay staged in the sector for at least 30 days.
#BREAKING Law enforcement sources confirm that roughly 500 troops are deploying this week to Texas’ Rio Grande Valley —Being dropped onto islands by chinook helicopters.
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) October 2, 2026
It comes after suspected cartel members shot at a USCG vessel near Roma over the weekend—The coast guard… pic.twitter.com/xApDsX2RKw
According to the Coast Guard, personnel from Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande were running joint interdiction operations near Garceno, Texas, on Sept. 26, when they took gunfire from across the border. They returned fire. No one was hurt, no Coas
