‘This is happening in North America’: Horrifying video emerges of cartel violence near America [VIDEO]

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Check out this video, it looks like you’d expect more from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border or the US-Mexico border:

Unfortunately, of course, it comes from the US-Mexico border. In fact, the horrific violence happened in Nuevo Laredo, the sister city of Laredo, Texas.

What happened? Well, according to the Border Report, rival cartel gunmen in the city began firing and even exploding a grenade that swept through the city in response to police arrest of a drug cartel boss. In the words of this outlet:

Violence erupted near the US consulate office in the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo on Sunday night, forcing two international bridges to close after Mexican army officials arrested a senior drug cartel leader, Border Report has learned.

A State Department spokesman told Border Report Monday afternoon the department “is aware of reports of gunshots and a grenade exploding at the US consulate in Nuevo Laredo and gunfire at locations throughout Nuevo Laredo.”

Border Report further described the causes of the violence in this violent outbreak, noting:

US Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, whose hometown of Laredo, Texas is across the border from Nuevo Laredo, told Border Report the violence was sparked because “a group isn’t happy because they got their leader , and the other two groups say, ‘Is there a vacuum here because we might have to get in?’”

[…]Cuellar told Border Report that the arrest of the cartel leader by SEDENA (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional) or the Mexican army sparked the fighting between at least three drug cartels.

The Sun provided more details on this leadership vacuum and its cause, reporting:

The violence erupted after Juan Gerardo Treviño, known as “El Huevo,” was arrested, LMT reported.

“El Huevo” is the putative leader of the Cartel del Noreste. He is the nephew of Los Zetas founder Miguel Angel Treviño.

So a cartel leader was caught and jailed, so three drug cartels started fighting each other on the streets, probably trying to turn what could have been a disaster into an asset.

The US consulate was concerned enough to tell its staff and Americans in the area to protect themselves on the spot and try to avoid the city-turned-battlefield, saying on Twitter:

Following reports of gunfire overnight near the US Consulate and at locations throughout Nuevo Laredo, the US government has issued a Employees have been advised to continue to protect themselves in place. US citizens should avoid the areas or continue to shelter in place. To the Emergencies call 5550802000.

The violence got so bad that two US-Mexico bridges in the area were closed, the Nuevo Laredo at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge and the Gateway to the Americas Bridge.

The arrested leader now faces extradition and a range of charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering. He also faces state-level charges of murder, terrorism, racketeering and criminal association.

This violence is terrible, but it’s important to remember that it’s not happening somewhere far away. No, these gunmen, these grenade-wielding gangsters, are fighting for access to America.

This crisis, along with the illegal immigration crisis, must be dealt with as quickly as possible before something else truly terrible happens as a result.