A US citizen was shot by a cartel following Donald Trump’s executive order

By Lucas

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A US citizen was shot by a cartel following Donald Trump's executive order

An American hiker was shot in the leg by suspected Mexican cartel members in the mountains near San Diego on Wednesday.

According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), two citizens were robbed and attacked in the Jacumba Wilderness area near the US-Mexico border.

“Two of the hikers, one U.S. citizen and one Canadian citizen, were approached by two armed individuals and were commanded to come toward the armed men,” according to the CBP.

“When the hikers refused to obey the armed subjects’ commands, the assailants fired a barrage of shots at them, hitting one victim in the leg.

“The assailants advanced on the downed hiker and his Canadian companion, robbing them of their cell phones and backpacks.”

Why It Matters

The attack highlights the growing safety concerns in remote border areas along the United States-Mexico border.

It comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order this week designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American criminal groups, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as terrorist organizations.

According to Trump’s order, these groups “threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere.”

What To Know

The attack on the hikers occurred about 1,000 feet north of the US-Mexico border in the rugged Jacumba Wilderness area, which is well-known for illegal crossings.

Border Patrol agents responded to the group’s emergency calls before evacuating the injured hiker and tracking down the attackers as they fled back to Mexico, according to the CBP.

“At 12:08 p.m. Mountain Disrupt Unit, Border Patrol Tactical Unit, and Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue agents infiltrated to the area, locating the injured victim and stabilizing him,” the CBP reported.

“Agents established a protective perimeter and extracted the victim using CBP Air and Marine Operations San Diego.” The victim was taken to Reach Air Ambulance and flown to Sharp Medical Center in San Diego for treatment.

“BORTAC and BORSTAR agents maintained a secure perimeter and tracked the assailants back to the border where they returned to Mexico.”

It comes after the Pentagon announced on Wednesday that it had started deploying 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the southern border.

What People Are Saying

According to El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino, “The wounded hiker is a ‘I told you so moment’ highlighting the importance of adequate infrastructure the Border Patrol has been championing for years now.”

“Suspected cartel terrorists, on the other hand, are about to learn that this type of behavior will be the last resort in the premier sector. “All threats, anywhere and at any time in this sector, will be vigorously addressed.

Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert at the RAND Corporation, previously told Newsweek that drug cartels could easily become real terrorist organizations. Over one million American expats live or work in Mexico. They and their businesses may become targets for reprisals.”

What Happens Next

Trump has toyed with the idea of sending US troops into Mexico to take on the cartels.

“Could happen… stranger things have happened,” he stated in the Oval Office following his inauguration.

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