DHS alert warns of cartel plot to kidnap border agents in West Texas

Federal authorities are warning of a possible cartel operation aimed at kidnapping U.S. border agents in West Texas, using migrant crossings as cover.

An internal Department of Homeland Security alert, obtained by NewsNation and first reported Tuesday evening, says a known migrant smuggler was allegedly preparing to bring Colombian and Venezuelan migrants into the United States in an operation that officials believe may be intended to "target and kidnap" Customs and Border Protection personnel around Presidio and El Paso, Texas. The alert describes the information as initial reporting and says the purpose of the operation "may include" attempts to kidnap agents. Three CBP employees confirmed the warning to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.

CBP said it maintains intelligence on foreign actors who threaten the homeland and vets such information with partner agencies, while declining to discuss specific security measures.

The warning comes as the administration squeezes the cartels harder than any in recent memory. Trump designated several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations after returning to office, and the State and Treasury departments have kept sanctioning cartel leaders and networks. Border apprehensions are down roughly 91 percent over the past year, and Mexico credits joint cooperation for a roughly 90 percent drop in migrant encounters since late 2024.

That pressure has a violent edge. As human smuggling profits collapse by the billions, the cartels are lashing out: last October, federal law enforcement learned that a Mexico based figure had put bounties on the heads of ICE officers during a monthslong enforcement operation in Chicago. An alert is not an attempt, and CBP is still determining whether this plot is real. But agents in West Texas are on guard.