Twenty two people were killed in a shootout in Northern Mexico on Monday, December 3rd. The shootout was between police and a suspected drug cartel.  Four police officers, two civilians, and sixteen ‘criminals’ are among the deceased, according to a statement made by Coahuila Gov. Miguel Angel Riquelme Solis. Authorities have made revisions to the death toll several times since the battle was first reported.

According to CNN, the battle took place around 40 miles from the US border. Twenty five vehicles, four with high caliber guns, numerous long range guns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition were confiscated, according to the statement. Five minors were rescued and six members of the police were injured.

These criminal groups have tried long and hard to get into the U.S., Solis said on Saturday.

“Organized crime, specifically the Cartel del Noreste, tries to get into Coahuila every day at some point, in one of its areas,” he said, adding, “Today they got in by force and with a contingent that is not like anything we have seen in a long time.”

In a press conference on Monday, Mexican president Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the government would release a security report.

Earlier in the month, nine women and children in Mexico were killed by suspected drug cartels.