THIS is the horror moment gunfight between soldiers and cartel criminals near the US-Mexico border erupts as gang boss ‘El Ricky’ is arrested in Mexico amid Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Dramatic footage shows a soldier firing a machine gun at armed gangsters on a motorway near to a major airport, forcing a suspension of flights.
Jam PressRicardo Gonzalez pictured during the arrest[/caption]
Jam PressSoldier firing a machine gun at armed gangsters on a motorway near the airport[/caption]
AFPA Mexico’s Army officer patrols the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border in Playas de Tijuana, Baja California state[/caption]
Violence rocked the city of Nuevo Laredo, located on the border with Texas, when a gunfight followed the arrest of suspected cartel boss Ricardo Gonzalez – otherwise known as El Ricky.
Unbelievable footage shows a soldier desperately staying low as he fires a machine gun at armed thugs.
Shots can be heard echoing above as both sides deliver dozens of bullets.
Another clip shows the soldier shouting while moving to hide behind a truck just as more deafening shots can be heard getting fired.
The gunshots caused so much noise they could be heard from streets over, according to the footage.
The US consulate in Nuevo Laredo issued a security alert stating it had “received reports of multiple gunfights throughout the city”.
US government personnel were chillingly advised to seek shelter in the horror incident.
A mere few hours later, the consulate said it would be closing on Tuesday “due to an emergency situation in the city”.
Local authorities earlier warned residents not to leave their homes.
As a result of the cartel-related violence, the Nuevo Laredo International Airport halted all operations on Monday.
Officials initially estimated that flights would be suspended until the following day but some operations resumed later the same afternoon.
The city was rocked by a series of intense clashes that lasted for several hours about a week after the US consulate in Mexico issued warnings on gun battles, kidnappings and IED’s in Mexican border regions.
Violence broke out after Gonzalez, 27, was placed under arrest.
The gangster is believed to be the second-in-command of the Cartel of the Northeast.
Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection, said: “The leader of a group that generates violence and operates in Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Coahuila is linked to extortion and multiple attacks on Fuerza Civil police officers in Nuevo León.
“There are arrest warrants for homicide and illegal deprivation of liberty.”
He is also suspected of leading an ambush against Mexican Army soldiers on 17 August last year which left two troops dead and five wounded.
ReutersPresident Donald Trump visits the US-Mexico border wall, in Alamo, Texas, 2021[/caption]
Jam PressRicardo Gonzalez during the arrest[/caption]
GettyThe Chihuahua State Police, in cooperation with the U.S. Border Patrol, conduct a joint operation to prevent illegal border crossings in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico[/caption]
GettyMigrants line up as they wait to enter the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) in Mexico City, Mexico[/caption]
GettyImmigrants walk along the US-Mexico border wall after crossing the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas[/caption]
The gang thug is also accused of qualified homicide, kidnapping, attacks on official institutions, extortion and migrant trafficking.
Following his capture, Gonzalez was transferred to the Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime (FEMDO) where he is set to face trial.
Separately, the US Department of State issued a travel warning for Tamaulipas State, which borders Nuevo Laredo, last week.
On Monday, Trump shelved his punishing tariff plans for 30 days for Canada and Mexico in a last-gasp deal.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a deal with the US that Mexico would deploy 10,000 troops to the border in the face of mounting pressure from Washington.
The bolstered security presence will be tasked with preventing drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, particularly fentanyl.
The United States said it would also commit to working to prevent the trafficking of high-powered weapons into Mexico, the Mexican president said.
“Our teams will begin working today on two fronts: security and trade,” Sheinbaum added.
Trump also gave Sheinbaum 30 days to “achieve a deal” between the two countries.
AT THE BORDER
In one of his first moves as president, Trump sent troops to the southern border and ordered them to take “full operational control” as he declared illegal immigration a national emergency.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went to the US border with Mexico for his first trip as the Pentagon chief, along with border czar Tom Homan.
Hegseth posted a video of himself shaking hands with the troops to X, saying, “It was an honor to meet the troops engaged in securing our southern border.
“They are the backbone of our nation’s security,” he said.
“Their dedication to service and unequaled courage safeguard the freedoms we hold dear. We are grateful for all you and your families sacrifice.”
Trump’s border crackdown
By Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter
SEVEN countries so far have agreed to take back illegal migrants deported under President Donald Trump – less than two weeks after he took office.
The Republican has proven to be successful in turning the screw on countries to meet his demands for a major crackdown on immigration.
The Pentagon has started providing more flights to deport over 5,000 immigrants held by US authorities in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego, California.
While flights were still happening under Biden, the crackdown from Trump has seen deals being made with nations at rapid speed.
While Mexico refused to allow US military aircraft deporting migrants to land in the country, President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members of the country’s National Guard.
This came after Trump shelved his punishing tariff plans for 30 days for Canada and Mexico in a last-gasp deal.
Colombia
Colombia caved and accepted the return of its own migrants after Trump threatened to hit the South American nation with tariffs and sanctions.
Trump had planned to slap a 25% tariff on Colombian imports – and revoke the visas of government officials.
The fight came after Colombia stopped two US military aircraft packed with their own citizens from landing in the country.
Just two hours after Trump’s threat, Bogota did a U-turn and agreed to accept migrants with the White House then dropping the tariff threat.
El Salvador
Trump is open to a plan to send deportees from the US of any nationality to El Salvador, including violent American criminals now imprisoned in the United States.
In the “extraordinary” offer from President Nayib Bukele, some of the most dangerous convicts in US jails will be flown over to El Salvador to serve their time.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Bukele agreed to the migratory agreement that will see US deportees of any nationality locked up.
Rubio gloated that Bukele agreed to the most “unprecedented, extraordinary, migratory agreement anywhere in the world” following tense talks at his lakeside country house just outside of San Salvador.
He added that the Salvadoran president even “offered to do the same” for some of America’s most dangerous criminals currently locked up in the US – despite being US citizens or legal residents.
India
The farthest destination of the Trump administration’s flights for migrants is India, as a US military plane deported migrants to India on Monday.
A US official who spoke anonymously confirmed the C-17 aircraft had departed for India with migrants aboard in another crackdown on illegal immigration.
A few hours after the plane departed, Trump invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the White House next week.
Trump spoke with Modi at the end of January when he discussed immigration and placed importance on India buying more American-made security equipment, as well as talks of fair bilateral trading ties.
Ecuador
Over 80 illegal migrants were caught under Trump’s border crackdown and were recently loaded onto a C-17 military plane in El Paso, Texas, to Ecuador.
The plane carried 43 women and 37 men, including several families.
“The take-home message here is, ‘Not today, not today, not tomorrow, not next week,’” US Border Patrol special operations supervisor Hamid Nikseresht told Fox News.
Guatemala
As part of Trump’s national emergency declaration on immigration, he launched military deportation flights that initially saw planeloads of migrants fly to Latin America.
Four landed in Guatemala after Colombia refused to let two of the US cargo aircraft land and instead sent its own planes.
A Guatemalan office told Reuters that the military transport plane that landed on January 27 contained 64 people onboard.
Honduras
Last week, Honduras received deportees on US military flights, with the country being one of the first to speak out against Trump’s threats of mass deportation.
On New Year’s Day, President Xiomara Castro threatened she could expel the US military from the country depending on how the new administration would handle migration.
But on Friday, a US Air Force plane carried over a whopping 70 deportees into the city of San Pedro Sula – around 100 miles northwest of the capital Tegucigalpa.
Venezuela
Trump’s administration is ending protections that protected around 350,000 Venezuelans from deportation – leaving them with two months before they lose their right to work in America.
The termination notice is set to be published on Wednesday and go into effect 60 days later.
While the US doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Venezuela, which limits deportation options, Trump made securing deportations to Venezuela a main goal in his crackdown.
On Friday, Trump’s right-hand man, Richard Grenell, traveled to Venezuela and met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – which resulted in six American prisoners being released.
After the visit, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Venezuela agreed to receive back its citizens.
Peru
US military planes initially deported illegal migrants to Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras.
But as talks continue to get underway regarding flights being sent to Guantanamo Bay, it’s been claimed that planes there are likely to join another headed to Peru.
Trump wants America’s neighbours to restrict fentanyl supply
AFPMexico’s National Guard officers stand guard on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border in Playas de Tijuana, Baja California state[/caption]
AFPUS Marines with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, preparing to install concertina wire along the southern border with Mexico near San Ysidro, California[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
