Mexico Seeks US Evidence After Border Gunfire Claim

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her government has asked the United States to provide evidence supporting allegations that gunfire from Mexico targeted US Coast Guard personnel near the border.

Speaking at her daily press conference, Sheinbaum said Mexican authorities had found no indication that shots were fired from Mexican territory. She said personnel from Mexico’s National Guard, Army and Navy had not detected any such incident.

“We asked for all the evidence because we have no evidence,” Sheinbaum said, emphasizing that Mexican security forces had not confirmed the US account.

Her comments followed a statement from US Ambassador Ronald Johnson, who said Sunday on X that “shots were fired at US Coast Guard personnel” near the border between Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Texas.

The allegation emerged as Mexico announced a new joint border security initiative called “Operation Mirror.” Under the effort, Mexico plans to deploy 500 troops along with helicopters, drones and anti-drone equipment to strengthen security in the border region.

Sheinbaum said Mexican officials proposed coordinated “mirror operations” with US agencies after learning about the alleged shooting. She described the move as a precaution designed to prevent security incidents and improve coordination between authorities operating on opposite sides of the border.

“To avoid any of these situations, what was proposed was that mirror operations be carried out so there would be no problems,” Sheinbaum said.

She added that Mexico still had not received evidence confirming that the reported gunfire occurred but had moved ahead with the security operation to reduce potential risks.

The dispute comes as Mexico and the United States expand cooperation on border security and other security challenges. However, Sheinbaum has repeatedly maintained that closer cooperation must respect Mexican sovereignty and has rejected the possibility of US military intervention inside Mexico.

The latest incident could test cross-border coordination as both governments seek to strengthen security while determining what happened near the Tamaulipas-Texas frontier.