Mexico asks for evidence after US official says shots were fired at border personnel

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration has formally requested proof from U.S. authorities regarding allegations that gunfire was aimed at U.S. personnel from the Mexican side of the border, emphasizing that domestic security forces detected no such event."We asked for all the evidence because we have no evidence," Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference on Monday. She explained that personnel from Mexico's Army, Navy, and National Guard found no indication of shots being fired from Mexican territory toward the United States.Her remarks came a day after U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson stated on X that "shots were fired at US Coast Guard personnel" in a border region connecting the Mexican state of Tamaulipas with Texas, where Mexico announced the deployment of Army and National Guard troops on Sunday.Ronald Johnson (Reuters)Johnson's comments followed Mexico's announcement late Sunday of a joint border initiative titled "Operation Mirror," under which 500 troops, helicopters, drones, and anti-drone technology will be stationed along the frontier.The dispute comes amidst growing security cooperation between Mexico and the US, though Sheinbaum has firmly and repeatedly rejected any potential US military intervention within Mexico.Sheinbaum noted that Mexican authorities suggested "mirror operations" alongside US agencies as a precautionary measure after being notified of the reported incident."To avoid any of these situations, what was proposed was that mirror operations be carried out so there would be no problems," she said. "We have not been given any evidence that these shots actually occurred, but to prevent any situation a mirror operation has already been carried out."