Mexican drug cartels are ordering their members to target U.S. Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives amid a crackdown at the southern border by the Trump administration. 

An internal memo titled “Officer Safety Alert” cited social media posts and other sources for the warning to federal agents, the New York Post reported. Agents were reminded to be “cognizant of their surroundings” and should be wearing their ballistic armor and utilizing their long firearms.

U.S. Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas last week. (Texas Department of Public Safety)

Last week, Border Patrol agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. The cartel members fled Mexico because of a military presence and sought refuge on an island between Mexico and the U.S., DPS said. 

The warning comes as the Trump administration has launched deportation raids targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records and enacted tougher measures to secure the southern border. 

Cartel leaders have realized a proactive U.S. presence on the border could cut into their drug and human smuggling profits, the memo showed, according to the Post. 

Last week, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, suggested the idea of the U.S. green-lighting private parties to target drug cartels for profit.

“Congress could issue letters of marque and reprisal authorizing private security firms or specially trained civilians to intercept cartel operations, particularly those involving drug shipments or human trafficking across borders,” Lee wrote on X. “Focus on disrupting supply lines, capturing high-value targets, or seizing assets like boats, vehicles, cash, gold, or equipment used in criminal activities.”

A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants that crossed the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico near Sasabe, Arizona. Agents are reportedly being targeted by Mexican drug cartels amid a crackdown by the Trump administration to secure the southern border.  (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Lee suggested it would lower costs to American taxpayers, since privateers would be paid a portion of what they capture and bring back to the U.S.