Trump claims Mexico's soldiers 'pulled guns' on the National Guard in border conflict

President Trump has a few intense details to add to reports of a Mexico-U.S. conflict at the border.

On April 13, Mexican soldiers confronted two U.S. troops in a remote part of Texas, as they apparently thought the service members had crossed the southern border and were in Mexico, U.S. officials said Tuesday. Trump took that account to the next level in a Wednesday tweet, saying "Mexico's soldiers recently pulled guns" on the service members, and that he was "sending armed soldiers to the border" in apparent retaliation.

The incident happened in part of Texas where the border wall is actually built north of the actual border, U.S. Northern Command told The Associated Press in a statement. Northern Command said there was a "brief discussion" between the soldiers, and that the Mexican troops eventually left. But Newsweek reports the American troops were searched, and that one reportedly had his gun removed from his hip and thrown inside a car. It's unclear if Trump means he'll send additional armed soldiers to the border, seeing as the Newsweek report suggests the U.S. troops involved were armed and at the border already.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up