Gruesome photos show a Border Patrol agent covered in blood after he was allegedly attacked by a migrant cartel informer, a former Texas Republican lawmaker said.
The graphic photos were shared on Instagram on Saturday by former Texas congresswoman Mayra Flores, who is married to a Border Patrol agent.
“This is the type of violence that is being exerted on Border Patrol Agents by those who don’t want to be apprehended,” Flores wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.
“The suspect was encountered by Border Patrol near McAllen, Texas,” Flores continued. “The suspect was labeled a rat by the cartels and fought against the agent until the backup arrived. Please pray for our men and women in uniform.”
*GRAPHIC WARNING* These images show a BP Agent in the RGV assaulted by a smuggler moving migrants. Took 3 agents to get him down. The cartel marked him a “rat” hence the “RATA” tattooed on his forehead. BPAs are increasingly facing assaults and violent smugglers @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/GTPyMUaMZI
— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) September 25, 2023
In one photo, the Border Patrol agent has blood dripping down his face as well as large patches of blood on his uniform as he stands in a grassy area. His walkie talkie and other equipment attached to his uniform are also covered in blood. Another photo appears to show a puncture wound on the agent’s upper arm.
A photo of the alleged migrant cartel informer shows him also covered with blood and the word “RATA,” which means “rat” in Spanish, carved into his forehead in dark lettering.
Flores was the first Mexican-born woman to serve in the House. She is currently running to represent her South Texas district in the House again following her re-election loss last year to a Democrat, Representative Vicente Gonzalez.
The migrant crisis at the border has been ramping up in recent weeks.
In August, there were nearly 233,000 migrant encounters at the southern border, the highest August on record, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said. That number marks a jump from under 184,000 encounters in July.
Last month’s numbers are also a significant jump from August a year ago, when there were only 204,000 migrant encounters.
September’s numbers are already tens of thousands of encounters higher from last year as well.
Last week, more than 8,000 migrants showed up at the Texas border city of Eagle Pass, sparking fear about security among the residents.
Video footage from the border this month shows migrants crossing the border and entering the U.S. by crossing barbed wire near the Rio Grande, despite National Guard soldiers standing nearby.
Earlier this month, video also showed Border Patrol releasing hundreds of illegal migrants onto the streets of San Diego near a transit station.
“It’s no problem if I go to Chicago?” one migrant can be heard asking a Border Patrol agent, to which the agent replies that he is free to do whatever he wants.
Meanwhile, major cities like New York and Chicago are dealing with a migrant crisis as thousands of migrants show up, overwhelming the city’s shelters and resources.
New York City is trying to metabolize more than 113,000 migrants who have shown up in the city since last spring, nearly 60,000 of whom are still being housed on the city’s dime.
The city has already spent more than $1.2 billion on the migrants and is projected to spend up to $5 billion.
Chicago has seen an influx of about 13,500 migrants recently. The country’s third-largest city has already spent at least $250 million on the issue.