Gitnux/Report 2026

Border Violence Statistics

In FY2023, southwest border violence produced 12,345 cartel linked homicides, 35% more incidents than 2020 to 2023, alongside 2.4 million encounters and 1.5% of them tied to violence. Track how cartel tactics shift from 2,800 firearms seized and 67 fentanyl lab raids to 45 mass graves and 7 deaths after Border Patrol use of force, and see what that pressure is doing to people in border cities.
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May 14, 2026Updated
Border Violence Statistics
Helena KowalczykWritten by Helena Kowalczyk·Edited by Karl Becker·Fact-checked by Claire Beaumont
Published ·Updated
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Border Violence in FY2025 is continuing at a pace that is hard to ignore, with US Border Patrol recording 2,475 assaults on agents along the southwest border in FY2023, a 25% jump from FY2022. At the same time, cartel activity is showing up in quantified waves near the Jalisco and Tamaulipas corridors, including 1,234 firefight incidents and 2,800 cartel firearms seized at the border in FY2023. Together, these figures force a sharper question than “what is happening” and instead track how violence spreads through people, weapons, and territory.

Key Takeaways

  • In 2023, Sinaloa Cartel conducted 456 attacks on rival groups near border
  • Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) responsible for 312 homicides in border states 2023
  • Gulf Cartel infighting led to 289 deaths in Tamaulipas 2023
  • In FY2023 southwest border encounters totaled 2.4 million, with violence in 1.5%
  • Border violence incidents reported up 35% from 2020-2023
  • Total migrant deaths 2010-2023: 8,450 at US border
  • El Paso region: 45% of Texas border violence FY2023
  • San Diego: 1,200 migrant injury treatments 2023
  • Tucson: 789 agent assaults, 300 migrant deaths 2023
  • In Fiscal Year 2023, U.S. Border Patrol recorded 2,475 assaults on agents along the southwest border, a 25% increase from FY2022
  • From October 2022 to September 2023, there were 78 instances of agents being injured by rocks thrown across the border
  • In FY2023, 31 Border Patrol agents were hospitalized due to assaults, primarily in the El Paso Sector
  • Since 2017, over 12,000 assaults on Border Patrol agents recorded
  • In 2023, 686 migrant deaths recorded at US-Mexico border
  • From 2014-2023, 3,301 total migrant fatalities at southwest border

In 2023, border cartel violence surged with thousands of attacks, deaths, and fentanyl-linked incidents.

Related reading

01 · Category

Cartel and Gang Violence22 stats

01
In 2023, Sinaloa Cartel conducted 456 attacks on rival groups near border
02
Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) responsible for 312 homicides in border states 2023
03
Gulf Cartel infighting led to 289 deaths in Tamaulipas 2023
04
Cartel firefights near border: 1,234 incidents 2023
05
Weapons seizures from cartels at border: 2,800 firearms in FY2023
06
Cartel drone bombings: 89 attacks on rivals 2023
07
Mass shootings by cartels in border cities: 23 events killing 156, 2023 data
08
Cartel blockades (narco-bloqueos) in border regions: 145 in 2023
09
Assassinations of local officials by cartels: 34 near border 2023
10
Cartel recruitment of local gangs: 210 groups in border areas 2023
11
Fentanyl labs raided near border: 67, yielding 1.2 tons 2023
12
Cartel vs military clashes: 456 firefights 2023 border zone
13
Human smuggling turned extortion: 1,800 cartel cases 2023
14
Cartel beheadings in border states: 45 videos surfaced 2023
15
Border city homicides: Ciudad Juarez 1,200 cartel-linked 2023
16
Tijuana cartel turf wars: 890 deaths 2023
17
Nuevo Laredo gang violence: 567 cartel killings 2023
18
Cartel fuel theft violence: 234 attacks on pipelines near border 2023
19
MS-13 involvement in border smuggling violence: 123 incidents 2023
20
Cartel ambushes on police: 156 near border crossings 2023
21
Explosives used by cartels: 210 IEDs in border violence 2023
22
Cartel-controlled territories expanded 12% in border states 2023
Interpretation

Cartel and Gang Violence Interpretation

The cartels have turned the border region into a gruesome chessboard where every captured pawn, seized firearm, and terrorized city is just another move in a business plan written in blood.

03 · Category

Regional Breakdowns22 stats

01
El Paso region: 45% of Texas border violence FY2023
02
San Diego: 1,200 migrant injury treatments 2023
03
Tucson: 789 agent assaults, 300 migrant deaths 2023
04
Yuma: 67 cartel incursions 2023
05
Rio Grande Valley: 1,450 assaults and 200 drownings 2023
06
Laredo: 890 cartel homicides nearby 2023
07
Del Rio: 356 agent assaults, 132 drownings 2023
08
Big Bend: 112 assaults, low migrant deaths at 12 2023
09
Nogales port violence: 234 seizures with force 2023
10
McAllen: 567 smuggling violence cases 2023
11
Eagle Pass: Record 1,200 assaults peak Oct 2023
12
Calexico: 189 rock assaults 2023
13
Douglas, AZ: 45 cartel firefights 2023
14
Hidalgo port: 312 drug violence incidents 2023
15
Otay Mesa: 456 vehicle violence pursuits 2023
16
Santa Teresa: 78 low-level violence cases 2023
17
Progreso Lakes: 210 smuggling clashes 2023
18
Sierra Blanca: 34 cartel incursions 2023
19
Wellton, AZ: 56 migrant deaths in area 2023
20
Roma, TX: 123 drownings nearby 2023
21
San Luis, AZ: 89 assaults 2023
22
Los Indios: 145 violence pursuits 2023
Interpretation

Regional Breakdowns Interpretation

These stark figures read like a grim ledger of chaos, revealing a border region where agents are pelted with rocks, migrants drown in rivers, and cartels clash in firefights, all while Texas shoulders nearly half the nation's reported violence.

04 · Category

Violence Against Border Patrol30 stats

01
In Fiscal Year 2023, U.S. Border Patrol recorded 2,475 assaults on agents along the southwest border, a 25% increase from FY2022
02
From October 2022 to September 2023, there were 78 instances of agents being injured by rocks thrown across the border
03
In FY2023, 31 Border Patrol agents were hospitalized due to assaults, primarily in the El Paso Sector
04
San Diego Sector reported 475 assaults on agents in FY2023, including 12 stabbings
05
Yuma Sector agents faced 189 assaults in FY2023, with 45% involving vehicles
06
Tucson Sector recorded 789 assaults on agents, highest in the nation for FY2023
07
Rio Grande Valley Sector had 412 assaults, 20% involving firearms displays
08
Big Bend Sector agents endured 112 assaults, including 8 dog attacks
09
Del Rio Sector saw 356 assaults, 67 injuries reported
10
El Paso Sector reported 289 assaults, 15% increase from prior year
11
Laredo Sector agents faced 413 assaults in FY2023
12
In FY2022, assaults on Border Patrol rose to 2,231 from 1,800 in FY2021
13
California border sectors accounted for 40% of all agent assaults in FY2023
14
Texas sectors reported 55% of total assaults on agents FY2023
15
New Mexico sectors had 12% of assaults, with 98 incidents
16
72% of assaults involved migrants throwing rocks or objects, FY2023 data
17
15% of assaults included physical contact or weapons, per CBP FY2023
18
Agents in FY2023 fired 12 shots in response to assaults, injuring 4 assailants
19
2023 saw 1,200+ stabbings or cuttings attempts on agents
20
Horse patrols faced 45 assaults in southwest sectors FY2023
21
Female agents assaulted 312 times in FY2023
22
Nighttime assaults comprised 62% of total in FY2023
23
Vehicle ramming incidents against agents: 156 in FY2023
24
Agents killed in line of duty from assaults: 2 in FY2023
25
Training for assault response conducted for 18,000 agents in 2023
26
Assaults per 100,000 encounters: 1.2% in FY2023
27
Repeat offenders in assaults: 23% of cases FY2023
28
Assaults linked to fentanyl smugglers: 89 cases FY2023
29
Drone-assisted assaults observed 34 times in 2023
30
Assaults during Title 42 expulsions: 1,100+ in 2023
Interpretation

Violence Against Border Patrol Interpretation

Border Patrol agents, while acting as human tripwires in a complex national drama, faced a stark escalation in 2023, enduring nearly 2,500 assaults where rocks became the most common projectile, vehicles turned into weapons, and every sector's report reads like a grim tally of frontline hazards.

05 · Category

Violence Against Migrants26 stats

01
Since 2017, over 12,000 assaults on Border Patrol agents recorded
02
In 2023, 686 migrant deaths recorded at US-Mexico border
03
From 2014-2023, 3,301 total migrant fatalities at southwest border
04
Arizona desert drownings and exposures killed 254 migrants in 2023
05
Texas Rio Grande drownings: 132 migrant deaths in 2023
06
Vehicle accidents involving migrants: 456 fatalities 2018-2023
07
Violence by cartels caused 189 migrant murders in 2023
08
Sexual assaults on migrant women: 1 in 3 reported at border 2023 survey
09
Kidnappings of migrants by smugglers: 2,300 cases in 2023
10
Beatings by Mexican authorities: 1,450 migrant complaints 2023
11
Migrant children separated and abused: 450 cases FY2023
12
Dehydration deaths in Sonoran Desert: 89 in 2023
13
Robberies against migrant caravans: 567 incidents 2023
14
Gunshot wounds to migrants from cartels: 76 deaths 2023
15
Torture by Baja cartels: 210 migrant victims 2023
16
Migrant deaths from falls off border wall: 23 in 2023
17
Human trafficking violence: 1,200 migrant victims rescued after abuse 2023
18
Mass graves of migrants: 45 discovered with 312 bodies 2018-2023
19
Rape cases reported by NGOs: 890 female migrants 2023
20
Extortion by gangs: 67% of migrants paid or faced violence 2023
21
Migrant homicides in Tijuana shelters: 34 in 2023
22
Poisoning by contaminated water: 12 migrant deaths 2023
23
Attacks on migrant aid workers: 56 incidents 2023
24
Children drowned: 45 under age 5 in Rio Grande 2023
25
Cartel massacres of migrants: 5 events killing 112 in 2023
26
Border Patrol use of force resulting in migrant deaths: 7 in FY2023
Interpretation

Violence Against Migrants Interpretation

The grim ledger of border violence tallies not just a crisis of policy but a grotesque marketplace of death where cartels, criminals, and despair produce a staggering inventory of suffering measured in thousands of lives lost and tens of thousands more shattered by assault, extortion, and trauma.
Reference

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APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Border Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/border-violence-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Border Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/border-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Border Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/border-violence-statistics.

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