in 2018 brownsville, 60% black, by the way. and single chance to vote in brownsville until the late 1950s. and there's a white mayor, a woman named was joe matherne. and we went to her office and we said, what can you do to return this case to the brownsville community? make it live in this community? can you do for the families that were banished from brownsville? and she said to. in 2018, there's opinion in this town about what happened in 2019 40. but in other words, what can we do? we're doing nothing. and let me finish the story, which is that three years later, a black mayor gets elected in brownsville. 2000. few, few later gets elected. and the local agrees. it's time to revisit and reopen this case. and time to find where bones of elbert who could not be mourned at the time of his death, where they lay in brownsville. that has to take place all over this country. if we are ever really going to be able to deal with, account for and repair to what happened only in this little period i'm talking about 1939, 55. so that's t

this is where bill is, brownsville, texas. border snakes by texas to north and mexico to the southern and this is where the fourern were hit. the influence of cartels in mexico, what we've done here. here is the area of concern here, brownsville, texas. these are cartel territories, seven major cartels throughout mexico. this particular green corresponds with the gulf cartel, we mentioned. like at the sinaloa, aqua color here, closest to the border, new mexico, texas and ca.. what if they move human beings or drugs into america or american cities? on this map, the sinaloa cartel is in orange. this is two months ago. you expect major cities like new york or boston or washington, d.c., but stuns me. this is boise, idaho. this is grand junction, colorado. this is allentown, pennsylvania. this is where the cartels can have influence all across the country. take a walk over here, crime is one thing, the drugs is a different thing, dana. these products are made in china, shipped to southern ports of mexico. they are produced in mexi

you can move from brownsville, texas to matamoros. what is that town like?pped going because of the increase in violence. a lot of tourists go to matamoros when they cross over from brownsville, texas. so right across the border when you cross into matamoros you have nice restaurants and stores where tourists go and have a nice dinner or lunch and buy things. but those days have changed. this is something i want to point out to all your viewers right now. is that spring break coming up, south padre island is a big draw for spring breakers from all over the united states. the problem with that is the spring breakers in the evening take a 45-minute drive from south padre to brownsville and walk across and party in matamoros. that's extremely dangerous. i am urging the parents don't let your spring breakers go to -- your children go to matamoros. in 1989, a college student by the name of mark kilroy was abducted and used in a ritualistic ritual and murdered. it is so dangerous to go there. i hope the spring breakers stay away from matamoros or anywhere in mexic

the gulf cartel operates in brownsville, matamoros. again, the challenge is the cartel -- it is not quite the same as a corporation in the united states. there is a lot of infighting and splintering. often when a kingpin is eliminated, what happens is, there is fight for control of the cartel so you see an increase in violence. host: which one of the three was el chapo's cartel? guest: you got me. i think it was helly scope. host: the line for democrat, good morning. caller: there seems to be a big demand, so to decrease the demand for drugs in united states, perhaps we should use money for drug addiction by putting up billboards all over the interstates. that, use of drugs finances terrorist organizations. perhaps it will weigh on the conscience of the american public that demands these drugs. guest: again, that is an interesting idea. i think the connection you are making is an important one. these organizations that sell drugs also are engaged in other illicit activity, whether smuggling of people, cigarettes -- we had a program at

they just only crossed the border from brownsville, texas, to mexico when their car came under fire.newly-confirmed video of the incident, you can see a group of unknown men, believed to be connected to a cartel attack the car and drag the americans on to the flat bed of a pickup. two appear to be bleeding badly. we do have source reporting on what the u.s. officials -- officials in the u.s. believe could be the motive. and statements from the family about why the americans were going to mexico in the first place. we also have questions about what this incident will mean for u.s./mexico relations. after all, this attack happened on a busy road, the middle of the day, just feet from the u.s. border and no one in the video appears to have tried to intervene. so how exactly does this happen? and what can the u.s. do to seek justice? joining me now from brownsville, texas, is nbc news correspondent morgan chesky, also with us is nbc news white house correspondent mike memoli. morgan, first to you. what do we know about these four americans? and do we know the identities yet of the two wh

>> rosa flores for us there in brownsville.ake changes after the justice department released that scathing report about the city's police department. the report says officers routinely used excessive force and aggressive style of policing, and unreasonable tactics against black people. the city's mayor people and interim police chief spoke with our team on cnn this morning about the report. >> we're not waiting, we're not stopping, we're moving aggressively ahead. whether the doj was here or not, we should be a premiere department. we should be a department that the citizens of louisville can be proud of. and guess what? for us internally, to be proud of ourselves. so no, we're not waiting. we're moving forward. >> as the department of justice themselves said, the vast majority of our officers are good and honorable people who are in their public service roles for the right reasons. that are doing their job, working to keep everyone safe. so we're building with that team. >> the doj launched this probe after the botched no-knoc

those that i spoke to from brownsville to hear about this kidnapping. unfortunately, nobody was surprised. >> i want to bring in justice correspondent ken dilanian. what is the fbi saying? >> i had a chance to ask the attorney general, merrick garland, who was having a news conference on an unrelated matter. he was not in position to confirm what the mexican government is saying. he said, as soon as he learns more information, he will give it to us. i asked him, what does this say about the ability of cartels to operate with immunity in some parts of mexico? listen to what he had to say. >> cartels are responsible for the deaths of americans. we are fighting as hard as possible. the dea and fbi are doing everything possible to dismantle and disrupt and ultimately prosecute the leaders of the cartels and the entire networks that they depend on. >> as you know, the u.s. intelligence community is working hand and glove with the mexican authorities to go after the cartels. they use some of the highest capabilities of u.s. intelligence, eavesdropping, overhe

what can you tell us from brownsville? >> reporter: chris, what we're hoping to hear from officials here in a few minutes will be filling in a timeline where this crime played out across one of the board bridges in matamoros. since then, chris, we essentially had three days of unnonknowns. we didn't know where these americans were. we didn't know who took them, until we heard the update today, and a very unfortunate one at that, from the state governor of tamaulipas who said that two americans are still alive, however two others perished in the kidnapping that took place at gunpoint. according to the attorney general of that mexican state, chris, he has said that the two survivors have been brought from mexico to the united states. i can tell you while their specific location remains unknown by u.s. officials, i did personally just go to valley regional medical center, a hospital here in brownsville. there was a heavy police presence out front where two brownsville ambulances. whatever we spoke to hospital management, chri

the two who survives are in the hospital in brownsville.s is the first suspect arrested in connection with this deadly attack, this is the man found guarding the wooded shed where the americans were discovered yesterday. the americans found in 30s minutes outside of matamoros. jose guadalupe is the first suspect arrested, they are looking for more. two surviving americans received an escort into the united states in ambulances cht. the cartel gunmen moved them from spot to spot. one of the americans has a gunshot wound to his leg, but expected to be okay. the surviving two victims were transported to brownsville, texas, receiving medical care at a local hospital. one victim sustained serious bodily injury during the attack. we are working with the department of state to get the deceased victims back into the united states. they were shot at within minutes of crossing the border for brownsville. they were in town for a medical procedure and what happened before the shooting is unclear, federal sources say it was likely a case of mistaken ide

their remains will be driven to brownsville, texas for a second autopsy.the ordeal and are back in the u.s. rosa flores has more from texas. >> reporter: two of four americans kidnapped in mexico seen in this disturbing video are now in the u.s. and preparing to return home. latavia washington mcgee, mother of six, heading to south carolina according to her family who spoke to her by phone. >> all i did was say hey, it is over and i miss her. >> reporter: and the other survivor eric williams remains in brownsville undergoing treatment for three gunshot wounds to his legs. for now one person has been detained linked to the kidnappings. a 24-year-old male who mexican authorities said was watching the victims. mexican officials would not confirm whether he is linked to a criminal organization. the u.s. is working to bring home the remains of zindell brown and shaeed woodard the who found dead after the kidnapping in matamoros. their autopsies were completed. mexican authorities say they are still investigating what happened after the four americans crossed th

the bodies of the other two victims are now at a brownsville funeral home. j.b.?here is breaking news tonight from hamburg, germany. police are investigating a deadly shooting at a church reportedly used by jehovah's witnesses. authorities say several people were killed and the gunman is believed to be among the dead. there's no word yet of any possible motive for the attack. >>> tonight a state of emergency in 34 california counties as a storm system known as pineapple express moves offshore bringing with it significant snow, heavy rain and strong winds. cbs's carter evans reports that experts are warning of life-threatening flooding, mudslides and avalanches. >> reporter: it's a desperate effort to dig out now. this snow blower is on top of a roof. and these workers are trying to shovel several feet. and now it's a race against time to clear all the snow off the roofs before the next storm comes. even just one foot of dense snow on the average roof is about 20,000 pounds. in the mountans of southern california emergency workers are finally able to conduct welfar

the bodies of the other two victims are now at a brownsville funeral home. j.b.?e is breaking news tonight from hamburg, germany. police are investigating a deadly shooting at a church, reportedly used by jehovah's witnesses. authorities say several people were killed, and the gunman is believed to be among the dead. there is no word yet of any possible motive for the attack. tonight, a state of emergency in 34 california counties, as a storm system known as a "pineapple express" moves ashore, bringing with it significant snow, heavy rain, and strong winds. cbs's carter evans reports that experts are warning of life-threatening flog,mudsdes, . >> reporter: it's a desperate effort to dig out now. this snowblower is on top of a roof. and these workers are trying to shovel several feet. snow of the roofs before thnetoxt20rm,0s pounds. in the mountains of southern california, emergency workers are finally able to conduct welfare checks. they have found at least a dozen people dead, and it is still unclear how many are storm related. further north, even plowedds r ar t

covering in a brownsville, texas, hospital.aveling from south carolina to mexico for a cosmetic surgery for mcgee. tonight, we are learning new details about that trip, in a police report filed by a fifth person who traveled with the group, but stayed on the u.s. side. cheryl orange told brownsville police she last saw her friends friday morning leaving a motel 6. she did not travel to mexico with the group because she did not have the proper i.d. the group didn't return and didn't answer repeated calls, she went to police. the four are found in a wooden shed on tuesday, outside of my tomorrows mexico. after they were attacked and kidnapped in the mexican border town last week by suspected members of the gulf cartel. one suspect has already been arrested. eric williams' wife said he had another surgery on his leg and he is recovering at this hospital. the bodies of the other two victims are now at a brownsville funeral home. j.b.? >> james: omar, thank you. there's breaking news tonight from hamburg, germany. police are investi

rosa flores, cnn, brownsville, texas. >>> and police in brownsville say the kidnapping should not define mexico, but when people go to this part of mexico for work, vacation or a medical procedure, there is always an element of risk. >> here in brownsville, a lot of people go to mexico for doctor visits, veterinarian, dentist, prescription medications or sometimes even just to go to dinner. it is something that has not changed. there is hundreds of people that go through the bridge daily. and right now i think that everybody is a little bit more apprehensive, but i'm sure that that won't stop several people that need to go to their doctor visits. >> this is a state that is home to the gulf cartel, so it is a very violence criminal organization. but typically you see these attacks among themselves and what you see a collateral damage like we saw with this woman who was shot in this confrontation with the four americans. typically americans are safe as long as they are there during the day. typically the criminal organizations don't want to get into this kind of publicity, but the danger i

. >> all i did was say, hey, it's -- >> -- remains in brownsville, texas, under treatment for three gunshot wounds to his legs. for now, one person has been detained link to the kidnappings, a 24-year-old male who mechanist already said was watching the victims. mexican officials will not confirm whether he is going to a criminal organization. the u.s. is now working to bring home the remains of zindell brown and shaeed woodard, the two people found dead after the kidnapping and the mexico border city of matamoros. the autopsies were completed today. mexican authorities say they are still investigating what happened after the four americans cross the border from brownsville, texas. we do know the group was driving a rented mini van and got lost on route to a clinic, where mcgee had a medical appointment, according to a close friend. we just left the hotel with the american stayed. and it's about an 11-minute drive to the international bridge, where mexican authorities say that the americans crossed into matamoros at about 9:18 a.m. on friday. mcgee's mother say she spoke to her daughter abo

they will be crossing over here to brownsville, texas where i am. once on u.s.end autopsy is expected to be performed. rosa flores, cnn, brownsville, texas. >>> ceo of norfolk southern will be grilled by u.s. senators today. >> this is after the two derailments in ohio in a little over a month, including this incident in east palestine in early february where chemicals were released and residents fear long term toxic contamination. >> and the ceo wrote in the "washington post" that norfolk southern is firmly committed to helping the affected communities. and another railway company says there is no danger to the public after a separate derailment in west virginia wednesday. >> a freight train owned by csx hit a rock slide before jumping the tracks. three crew members were injured. one train spilled fuel and oil into a river. the company says that the train did not carry hazardous materials. >>> fox news is facing new criticism after more false narratives have been can exposed. what its top rated host had to say about donald trump in newly revealed text messages.

did you travel with her and the others to brownsville or did you meet them there?raveled together. it was a road trip. >> so did you have any idea about threats down in mmatamoro or what it was like across the border or did latavia? >> i did not. i'm assuming she didn't because she's not going to travel to danger. >> did you actually try to cross the border with them and were turned away or did you just realize before even trying that you didn't have i.d.? >> no, she told me -- she told me that when i told her i didn't have my i.d. with me, they drop me off at the hotel and said they would return in 15 minutes. that's why i was so, like, worried and in fear because it didn't seem right. 15 minutes had gone by. they were not there. >> so how long did you wait after 15 minutes? that must have been agonizing. >> when they dropped me off -- sorry -- when they dropped me off at the hotel, i had got into the shower, i showered, and i laid on the bed, you know, i was exhausted from the long hour, the long ride. so i ended up falling asleep. i woke up, and it was already 5

and that event, we were just arriving at brownsville, texas, at studio sex. and i didn't have proper identification. so, i couldn't join her to go across the border. it left me back at the hotel. >> so, because you didn't know that you know, you don't know you'd be going out the country, you did know you belong to mexico see it and run ideal with yo. did you travel with her and the others, to brownsville or did you meet them there? >> now, we all travel together. it was a root trap. >> so, did you have any idea about threats down and matamoros or what it was like across the border? or did latavia? >> no sir, not at all. not to my knowledge. i'm assuming she didn't know. i know her, she won't travel to danger. >> did you actually try across the border, or turn away, or did you realize before even trying that you didn't have i. t.? >> she told me that, when i told her i didn't have my i. d. with may they drop me off at the hotel and said they'd return in 15 minutes. that's why i was so worried. and i was in fear. it didn't seem like 15 minutes had gone by. they

cbs's omar via fran ka is outside the hospital in brownsville, texas, tonight for us.r. >> reporter: good evening. two of the victims are back on american soil recovering at this hospital behind me. while the u.s. government is working to get back the other es of e other two now, we talked to t of one of e old family is still in shock. two americans who survived being caught in a shootout and kidnapped by cartel gunmen were taken to a hospital in brownsville, texas, today. mexican authorities found latavia mcgee and eric williams at a stash house outside the city of matamoros of gunmen moved them to multiple locations to avoid capture. it was the end of a road trip for cosmetic surgery. mcgee, williams, along with their close friends woodard and brown traveled last week from south carolina to matamoros so mcgee could have cosmetic surgeon general. the vid shows the moment when they were kidnapped at gunpoint after being caught in a shootout between rival cartel gangs. also dragged and loaded on to the truck bed. woodard and brown were killed. traveling abroad for medic

$50,000 reward to help locate the americans who were attacked by armed men after crossing from brownsville, texas into matamoros riding in a minivan bearing north carolina plates one woman seen being dragged into a pickup truck. a u.s. official tells nbc news the attack may have been a case of mistaken identity authorities say a mexican citizen was killed during the confrontation. gabe gutierrez reports it happened in an area that has become increasingly dangerous. >> reporter: these photos shared widely on social media appear to show the kidnapping's aftermath. the fbi says the four americans entered matamoros, mexico friday in a white minivan with north carolina license plates before armed gunmen opened fire and abducted them. a law enforcement official with knowledge of the matter tells nbc news this video depicts part of the kidnapping, appearing to show one woman walking on her own, forced into a white pickup truck armed men with bulletproof vests are then seen dragging other people into the vehicle. >> we are closely following the assault and kidnapping of four u.s. citizens in matam

when it evolves kidnapping or americans, it sends a strong message to our community here in brownsvilleporter: u.s. officials are not identifying the americans citing privacy concerns. that $50,000 fbi reward is not only for the return of the victims, but also for the arrest of the kidnappers. >> norah: janet shamlian with all that new information, thank you so much. tonight there are growing fears about airline safety, learning that a massachusetts man is under arrest after allegedly trying to open an emergency door during a united airlines flight on sunday and then later trying to stab a flight attendant. it's just the latest air scare to take place over the last week from bird strikes to severe turbulence. cbs's lilia luciano is to at new york's laguardia airport. >> flight 215, restrained after opening the emergency exit. >> reporter: the incident began on flight 2609 from los angeles to boston 45 minutes before its scheduled landing. a passenger later identified as francisco torres allegedly tried b a flht attendant three times with the handle of a broken spoon after he was asked i

. >> this is a moment four americans were kidnapped in mexico, just across the border from brownsville minivan with north carolina plates when they came under fire. the video appears to show a woman forced into the back of a pickup truck by men with guns, then two others who appear hurts, loaded next to her. the mexican president says that four are going to biomedicine, less expensive in mexico as hundreds of thousands of americans do each year. and that the could've been mistakenly targeted. the white house today saying it's closely following the situation. speak of these sorts of attacks are unacceptable. our thoughts are with the families of these individuals and we stand ready to provide all appropriate counsel or assistance. >> reporter: minna morris is under a four do not travel advisory for the united states government, issued for iraq, iran, and afghanistan. it's been with warring factions of the drug cartel for decades. journali frio s is aomniep meeaabout the care hearbout theho it involves kidnd americans, it sends a strong message to our community here in brownsville and al

you simply walk across brownsville into matamoros and walk back. they were driving in the vehicle with one van with north carolina plates may be for some reason, cartel members thought this was something and this is why this happened. >> ainsley: thank you so much, griff jenkins. her daughter told her 15 minutes before she was at the doctor's office and she never spoke to her again. she said her phone went to voice mail after that. we talked to congressman who lives in texas fighting the open borders down there for a long time. he weighed in on this. >> we will have to wait to see what the kidnappers want. if there is a demand for ransom. i don't think they are struggling for money peer of the cartels are not struggling for money but maybe they want to hold on to the individuals and maybe they have a couple of lieutenants in her detention facilities and they want to do a swap. it was a brazen act in the middle of the daytime here this is what happens when you don't have a secure southern border. this is what happens when you have a president in the

bill melugin is in brownsville texas outside the hospital where one of the kidnapping survivors. both of them are being treated. first up the politics of all here in washington. white house correspondent peter doocy has that part of the story live on the north lawn. good evening, peter. >> bret, the new fight at the white house is about changing the letter of the law, literally. drug cartels right now are considered transnational criminal organizations or tcos but there are some who want to change that to foreign terrorist organizations or ftos. >> designating these cartels as ftos would not grant us any additional authorities that we don't really have at this time. >> republicans are trying to give the commander-in-chief the power of the pentagon to fight mexican based drug cartels. >> we need to unleash the fury of the united states on these narco terrorists. and we're going to do it. >> peter: biden says they areine already doing it not if with the pentagon but the treasury department. >> combat narcotics trafficking organizations and the individuals entities that enable them.

this took place yesterday here in brownsville at the port of entry. the bodies of woodward and brown are back in the u.s. where they will undergo autopsies in the u.s. the cartel is allegedly apologizing for this attack. look at these images. a remarkable development. the gulf cartel reportedly tied up five of their own people, left them near a truck and left a handwritten apology on the windshield essentially saying those five men were responsible, they were undisciplined and they acted without orders from the cartel. they issued an apology to the families of the americans and to the family of the innocent mexican woman. the bystander who was killed during that gunfire. back out here live circling back one more time to the mexican president's comments that fentanyl is not produced in his country. just three weeks ago the mexican army announced that they busted, quote, the largest fentanyl lab on record in a northern city. the american president may want to check with his own military for what's happening inside his own country. >> bill: bill melugin.

>> morgan chesky in brownsville, texas, thank you very much. mike, i want to talk to both of you, as the general as well, a lot of focus has been on the cartels. who exactly are these cartels, mike? >> well, the cartels are transnational organized crime units, not only do they operate in mexico, the united states, but when you take a look at the sinaloa cartel, they operate in six of the seven continents. they don't operate in antarctica because the penguins can't buy drugs. so these are very powerful organizations that not only deal drugs anymore, but they have penetrated a lot of the mexican industries to include the theft of billion dollars in petroleum each year in pipelines. >> these are just horrendous, multinational organizations involved in all kinds of things, drugs, human trafficking, human exploitation. aren't they in fact terrorist organizations? >> well, you can certainly classify them as terrorist organizations. the impact on mexico, beautiful mexico, probably the number one country of importance in the world along with canada, us

cbs's omar villafranca is outside the hospital in brownsville, texas, tonight for us.od evening. two of the victims are back on american soil, recovering at this hospital behind me, while the u.s. government is working to get back the other bodies of the other two victims. now, we talked to the wife of one of the survivors. she told us family is still in shock. two americans, who survived being caught in a shootout and kidnapped by cartel gunmen, were taken to a hospital in brownsville, texas, today. mexican authorities found latavia mcgee and eric williams at a stash house outside the city of matamoros, after gunmen moved them to multiple locations to avoid capture. it was the end of a road trip for cosmetic surgery. mcgee, williams, along with their close friends, shaeed woodard and zindellbrown, traveled last week from south carolina to matamoros so mcgee could have cosmetic surgery. this video shows the moment when they were kidnapped at gunpoint, after being caught in a shootout between rival cartel gangs. here, you see mcgee being forced into the back of a pickup

this happened at the port of entry here in brownsville. see the fbi was there, the dea was there. this was a transfer from a mexican ambulance to a u.s. ambulance, they held a sheet up for the privacy of those americans but this was shortly after those americans were found at that wooden shack outside of matamoros. speaking of which, take a look at this picture. as you mentioned, mexican authorities have now made their first arrest in connection with this incident. this is the man they say was guarding that shack where the americans were found, both the dead americans and the surviving americans, identified as a 24-year-old named jose guadalupe a n. again, mexican authorities say the americans were moved from place to place to throw authorities off before they were found at that shack. is the first arrest connected with the incident. the fbi releasing a statement which is in part, "the surviving two victims were transported to the port of entry in bond bull texas where they are receiving medical care at a local hospital. as one of the surv

he is in brownsville, texas. morgan, what have you learned about the four americans and why they were there in the first place? >> reporter: yeah. jose, of course, we're awaiting official u.s. confirmation of what the governor of the state of tamaulipas said earlier today. the heartbreaking update, that two of those americans are now dead, two others alive from this kidnapping that took place on friday. jose, just to underscore the proximity here, it was just a stone's throw on the other side of this border bridge into neighboring matamoros that, according to authorities, jose, this van that the four u.s. citizens were in took fire from armed men. then we saw that horrific video and the deadly play by play of them grabbing them, dragging them, placing them in the back of a white pickup truck. that's what launched kind of this -- so many unknowns. where were they taken? how were they doing? there was significant question about their well-being because of video until, unfortunately, the update from the governor. i

of the other two who were killed are still in the hands of mexican authorities bill melugin in brownsvillet do mexican official s say now? reporter: stuart, good morning to you. what they are saying is they are still looking for more suspects in this attack and right now, we are in front of the hospital here in brownsville where those two surviving americans are still being treated, as you mentioned the two deceased americans their bodies still in mexico right now with the fbi saying they are working on getting them back. new this morning take a look at this picture. this is the first suspect that mexican authorities arrested in connection with this attack. they say this is the man who was guarding the shack where they found the americans being held yesterday. they were found in that wooden shed about 30 minutes outside of matamoros yesterday saying this guy was guarding it and only identified as jose guadalup e and again they are looking for more suspects in this attack. take a look at this video from yesterday. the two surviving americans received a mexican military escort back to the un

soil once they are in brownsville, texas.xpecting them to be taken to a funeral home where autopsies will be conducted shortly after that. jake? >> and rosa, we've seen the president of mexico pushing back on republican lawmakers here in the u.s. who have injected some politics into the kidnapping. today the president of mexico said mexico is not a colony of the united states. >> reporter: yeah, the president of mexico lashing out on republicans after republican lindsey graham announced that he was planning to introduce legislation that would designate mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and that it would authorize the u.s. military to operate in mexico. that didn't bode well with mexico's president. he lashed out saying that that was offensive, that mexico is a sovereign and independent country, and that it is not a colony of the united states. take a listen. >> translator: we are not going to allow any foreign government to intervene, much less the armed forces of a foreign government to intervene in our terr

. >> todd: seems like good advice. 35 miles separating the cartel site and the city of brownsville, texas. >> ashley: debbie douglas has a ranch located on the border andin jos us now. good morning, you captured video showing what you are saying are illegal immigrants attempting to break into your home, which are just miles from your home. that led you to do $13,000 in increases for security measures. >> yes, absolutely. >> todd: how chilling to hear of this kidnapping and killing so close to where you live? look at the video, that was 3 blocks from the border with the united states and presumably that shack located about 35 miles from where you are, how chilling was it to you to hear this happening so close? >> well, first of all, everything is escalating. things are getting worse as time goes on and if biden does not do something, this will come more to our country. even if the cartel man was arrested, we know what happened to the last head of cartel that was arrested, they basically created a war. they will skr to release him because they are afraid. the government of mexico is afraid

matamoros borders, brownsville, texas, and as you know, we'vewe been there many times. h we've done many reports from brownsville, not far from where that shooting took place.. here's here what we know, sean. we know that the gulf cartel,ha according to my sources, has strong armed enforcers. they call them c colonus. they're the nickname in spanish is cyclones. these guys set uis cycp checkpos inside matamoros. a lot of americans that travel into the area and a lot of them do they go there for farm get medicine at pharmacies or go to get medicine at pharmacies or go there, as we suspect in this case, for a medical procedure. don't know the dangers that they're encountering. and it appears, according reviaw enforcementit appears las who've reviewed a lot of the tape that has come from there, c that these americanstht tried to go through that checkpoint, they tried to bust through that checkpoint.oi there ensuedng f ongoingir fire eventually. eventually, i say this law enforcement appeared t on the mexican side to pursue this vehicle. vehicle. that, what we know is this

this is the moment four americans were kidnapped in matamoros, mexico, just across the border from brownsvillewere traveling in this white minivan with north carolina plates when they came under fire. the video appears to show a woman forced into the back of a pickup truck by men with guns. then two others, who appear hurt, loaded next to her. the mexican president says the four were going to buy medicine, less expensive in mexico, as hundreds of thousands of americans do each year and that they could have been mistakenly targeted. the white house today saying it's closely following the situation. >> these sorts of attacks are unacceptable. our thoughts are with the families of these individuals, and we stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. >> reporter: matamoros is under a level 4 "do not travel" advisory per the u.s. state department, the same threat level issued for iraq, iran, and afghanistan. the city of roughly half a million people has been home to warring factions of the gulf drug cartel for decades. the crimes are often unreported. journalists fearing for their s

the woman who was unharmed and the man who was injured on the international bridge between brownsville and matamoros gunman open fire on the group in the middle of traffic in the border city of my tomatoes. the friends crossed into mexico on friday with some of them seeking more affordable, cosmetic procedures. instead, they were caught up in the cities deadly turf war between powerful drug cartels. as news of the abduction spread, the kidnappers reportedly moved from place to place to evade rescuers. and i'm the general problem of the cartels looked at cartels responsible for the deaths of americans, that we are fighting as hard as possible, the da and the f. b. i are doing everything possible to dismantle and disrupt and ultimately prosecute. are the leaders of the cartels and the entire networks are paid to pena? mexico's president offered his regrets to the bereaved families, e. b. m. a. suppose we are very sorry that this has happened in our country, and we send our condolences to the family and friends of the victims and to the people in government of the united states as that us

>> reporter: i had a chance to speak to multiple people who live in the brownsville area.ho drove me from the airport to the community will go over into matamoros, he says, two, three times a day sometimes depending upon work. i asked him explicitly are there areas in that town that you won't go anymore? he says, you just have to be aware, which he feels he is, but you couple that with the fact that there are other people, such as the congressman i spoke to, who has not been across the border here, despite being in the brownsville area in years because they feel unsafe. so, it is this moving target, where some areas may be safe for some time and then they explode in violence and i think the unpredictability of the violence just across the border here is what makes it so tough for so many people here to deal with. because, lindsey, a lot of people have to cross for work to see their families. it is a way of life. and so to have to continue with the cartel element and the violence and unpredictability it brings just adds a whole new layer of tension and stress to this commun

reportero: en el centro mÉdico donde nos encontramos en brownsville, texas, las autoridades no han queridocto. una de las personas necesita atenciÓn mÉdica por traumas psicolÓgicos. el caballero que estÁ herido en su pierna izquierda, todavÍa necesita supervisiÓn mÉdica. podrÍa darse en los prÓximos dÍas o semanas. leÓn: nuevas investigaciones sugieren que los cuatro estadounidenses no habrÍan sido blanco de un ataque premeditado. habrÍan quedado atrapados entre el fuego cruzado de dos bandas rivales del cÁrtel del golfo. se cree que hubo una reacciÓn tardÍa para encontrar a las vÍctimas. reportera: en esta pequeÑa casa de madera en medio de una zona despoblada, localizaron a los cuatro estadounidenses que secuestrÓ un grupo criminal en matamoros. dos sobrevivieron y dos fallecieron. estaban en tamaulipas porque la mujer se practicarÍa una cirugÍa estÉtica, pero se perdieron buscando la clÍnica entre 9:00 a 12:00 del mediodÍa, hasta que fueron interceptados por los criminales. la bÚsqueda no comenzÓ hasta el domingo que el fbi ofreciÓ una recompensa, ya que antes no tenÍan denuncia de desa

arrastrados por el piso contra su voluntad cuatro estadounidenses que cruzaron la frontera desde brownsvilledos en matamoros. la mayorÍa de los cuatro adultos parecen estar heridos. incluso uno de ellos no se mueven, pero los secuestradores los llevaron a la parte trasera de una camioneta, y a partir de ese momento no se sabe su paradero. >> se localizaron dos vehÍculos impactados, uno de ellos con placas del estado de carolina del sur. reportero: el fbi asegura que hombres armados dispararon contra los pasajeros del vehÍculo. los cuatro esto ni pienses fueron introducidos en un vehÍculo sacados del lugar por hombres armados. >> los familiares de uno de los secuestrados todavÍa mantienen la esperanza de encontrar con vida a su ser querido que viajÓ a mÉxico para acompaÑar a una amistad a una cita mÉdica. >> la espera es lector parte. tiene sus ventajas y sus desventajas, sin embargo, ninguna noticia es una buena noticia. >> uno puede salir libremente a las calles para disfrutar de un fin de semana. solo hay que tener cuidado y las manos puestas sobre dios. reportero: el fbi sostiene que todo

ella decidiÓ esperar a sus amigos y quedarse en un hotel de la ciudad de brownsville cuidando el equipajeerÍan en 15 minutos. ha narrado a las autoridades que las horas pasaron y no supo mÁs de ellos porque no atendieron el telÉfono. cruzarÍa para dejar a latavia "tay" mcgee en una clÍnica, donde se realizarÍa un procedimiento. por este puente cruzaron a mÉxico latavia "tay" mcgee, su primo shaeed woodard y sus amigos eric williams y zindell brown. llegaron en una camioneta blanca en bÚsqueda de una clÍnica donde la mujer planeaba hacerse una cirugÍa estÉtica. a las 11:02, las cÁmaras detectaron por primera vez a la caminata circulando por este bulevar. en su recorrido por calles y avenidas, se internaron en algunas colonias como esta. en este sitio fue donde comenzaron a ser seguidos por tres camionetas. los interceptaron siete vehÍculos ocupados por delincuentes. intentaron escapar, pero los sometieron. este es el cruce exacto donde los cuatro ciudadanos fueron secuestrados. a menos de cuatro millas de distancia se encuentra el rÍo bravo y el puente internacional por el que cruzaron. es

. >> julie: bill melugin live in brownsville, texas with the very latest. >> good morning to you.rt of entry in brownsville where the bodies of the americans killed in this cartel attack are expected to be returned to the united states at some point today with the federal source telling me the transfer of those bodies is imminent. we're getting a look at a potential suspect in the attack. multiple media outlets in mexico reporting mexican law enforcement are looking for this guy, a golf cartel boss. the cyclones, they run the matamoros area and the mexican government is looking for this guy since last year and put a reward on his head worth $140,000 for any information on him. we're getting a look at the shack the americans were found in. look at these images by a source. the tiny wooden shack where the four americans were discovered by mexican law enforcement. one of the deceased was outside the shed. the rest were inside the shed. you can see how small it is. mexican authorities arrested one man guarding the shed. potentially a cartel member securing the area. look at these imag

four americans in the white van with north carolina plates crossed in to matamoras from brownsville.y may have blown through a cartel checkpoint, which is something you don't do. a shootout with dozens of rounds. a body being dragged and thrown in to the back of there along with a female in to the back of the pickup truck. this did happen not far from the port of entry between brownsville and matamoras, which is in the mexican state. the americans were there to buy medicine and there was a confrontation and they were detained. >> we're ready to provide all appropriate assistance. we remind americans about this particular part of mexico, the travel advisory remains at level four. do not travel. we encourage americans to heed that advice. >> there's basically three cartels fighting it out. outed to be the coast cartel. it's one of six mexican states already object the state department's do not travel list. seven other states it says think twice about it. out of 32 mexican states, only two are considered safe from homicide, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery. >> the significant amount o

brownsville texas. >> now the americans were friends from south carolina who drove to mexico so that one of them could undergo a procedure. in the cases but a greater spotlight on medical tourism which has been a growing business in mexico. -- is the founder and director of the center for medical tourism research, and as with us from san antonio. thank you so much for being here with us. so i just spoke about this being a growing business, how common is medical tourism? >> thank you for having me. it is a large and growing business -- -- [inaudible] >> i think we might be having some problems with your audio. we will try and join back with our guest a bit later if we can sort that out. all right, coming up next, we will have some more here on cnn newsroom. please do stay with us. we will be right back. ♪ for skin as alive as you are... don't settle for silver. harness the power of 7 moisturizers & 3 vitamins to smooth, heal, and moisturize your dry skin. gold bond. champion your skin. the day you get your clearchoice dental implants makes every day... a "let's dig in" day... mm. ...a

we have done reports from brownsville not far from where that shooting took place. here is what we know. we know the gulf cartel according to my sources has strong armed enforcers they called them the nickname in spanish is cyclones. these guys set up checkpoints inside matamoros. a lot of americans travel into the area and they go there to get medicine at pharmacies or g there as we suspect in this cas for a medical procedure. don't know the dangers they are encountering. it appears, according to law enforcement re-officials who reviewed the tape that has come from they are that these americans tried to go through that checkpoint and tried to bust through the checkpoint. there ensued ongoing fire. eventually, i say this, law enforcement appeared on the mexican side to pursue this vehicle. before that what we know is this . people were shot. three were taken and thrown int the back of a truck. i want you to think about this. they did it very slowly. they were not worried about the police officer showing up, shaking them down, arresting them. these armed gunmen, thes

it happened across the border from brownsville, texas. a group of heavily armed men opened fire on a van americans were traveling in. >> bill: they pulled the u.s. citizens from the wreckage of the vehicle and toss them to a truck bed and haven't been seen since. >> dana: they were driving a white minivan with north carolina plates. you can see it is riddled with bullet holes. >> the group is said to be in mexico. one could have cosmetic surgery. they believe cartel members have mistaken them for drug smugglers. >> dana: the white house is working with mexico to bring them home. according to bill barr, it's the cartels that call the shots. >> mexican government is being held hostage by tens of thousands of parra military members of terrorist organizations that control mexico. it is close to a failed narco state at this stage. they are sitting next door producing mountains of poisonous drugs and killing over 100,000 americans a year. we are sustaining the same damage as we would in a major war from these groups operating right beyond our r