A small town near the Texas border called off its Independence Day party this week. Gunmen and Mexican troops had a shootout first. It happened just hours before the town's big party.
The town is General Trevino. It sits in the state of Nuevo Leon. General Trevino is about 70 miles from Monterrey. The town sits next to Tamaulipas. That state runs along much of the Texas border.
Every September 15, Mexican towns hold the Grito. Leaders shout out the old cry for freedom from 1810. Crowds fill the plaza and shout back "Viva Mexico!"
On Monday, police and soldiers drove down a dirt road near the Tamaulipas line. They found trucks full of armed men. The men shot at the patrol. A gunfight broke out fast.
When the shots stopped, seven gunmen were dead. Troops caught two more men. Officers took guns from the scene. Two trucks the gunmen used got burned. Reports say troops also took seven rifles, ammo, and tactical gear off the men.
The danger did not end there. On Tuesday, soldiers went back to search. They found three more men tied to the fight. Troops caught all three. They took more guns too.
In all, seven men died. Five men went to jail. That happened over two days. Mexico's forces have not said which cartel the men were with.
Hours after the Monday fight, the mayor made a hard call. Maribel Hinojosa Garcia runs the town. She put safety first. She called off the Grito set for that same night.
Families in the town had planned to meet downtown. They wanted food, fireworks, and the shout of "Viva Mexico!" That night, the plaza sat empty and quiet.
Soldiers did not leave after the call off. Troops, National Guard units, and Nuevo Leon's Civil Force started a new push in the area. Leaders call it Operation Wall. The goal is to stop armed men from moving through that path near Tamaulipas. More checkpoints and patrols are now working that stretch of road.
The Grito matters a lot to Mexican families. It is the loudest, proudest night of the year. Kids get new clothes. Vendors sell corn and sweets in the plaza. Fireworks light up the sky at midnight. This year, none of that happened in General Trevino.
This is not the first time cartel fights have ruined a Mexican Independence Day. Towns and even whole states have called off Grito parties before. Threats and fear of attacks have forced those calls in past years.
For South Texas, this fight hits close to home. General Trevino does not sit right on the Rio Grande. But it sits on a path that smugglers use. That path can lead north toward the border.
Sheriffs and border agents on this side watch fights like this closely. South Texas counties along the Rio Grande sit within a short drive of this part of northern Mexico. A cartel clash in that stretch of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas can still shape what happens at Texas border crossings. It can shift drug loads. It can push migrants to cross in new spots. It can also mean more Mexican Army trucks and roadblocks near the river for weeks.
No civilians got hurt in the Monday or Tuesday fights, based on reports so far. Mexico's forces have not given out the names of the men killed or caught. They also have not said if the men lived in General Trevino or came from somewhere else.
This is a small town. Most people there know each other. A shootout on the edge of town, right before the biggest party of the year, shook up daily life fast.
El Tejano will keep watching this story. More facts may come out as Mexico's government shares more.
