The Rio Grande Valley will get some extra protection along the Texas-Mexico border with the deployment of Blackhawk helicopters.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has made a decision to deploy two Blackhawk helicopters — the same ones used by the U.S. military — to the region, officials said.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said the Blackhawk helicopters are expected to arrive today in Laredo and will be charged with patrolling the Rio Grande from Laredo to the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Although the helicopters will not have weapons attached, the pilots will be armed and could shoot back if they come under fire, officials said.

Cuellar stressed that although he has long been against militarizing the Texas-Mexico border, it is a priority for the United States to protect its officers that patrol along the river.

Last week, a CBP helicopter was shot while it patrolled the border near Laredo. U.S. and Mexican authorities both investigated the incident.

The Blackhawk helicopters will have a thicker skin than helicopters currently used by CBP, which means it will be more difficult for bullets to penetrate the exterior.

According to federal authorities, several bullets hit the CBP helicopter as it patrolled the border near Laredo on June 5. Although CBP officers were not injured, the rounds penetrated and damaged the helicopter. Authorities said a bulletproof vest on the floor probably prevented the pilot from being struck. The incident, being investigated by the FBI, forced the pilot to make an emergency landing.

Authorities are still trying to determine why shots were fired at the helicopter. Some national media reports suggested the CBP helicopter had been monitoring a drug load being crossed along the border when the shots were fired. Laredo authorities have said it’s believed the shots were fired from Mexico.

UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters are medium-range, all weather, rotary-wing tactical aircraft used by the Office of Air and Marine to protect the public from threats of terror and drug smuggling, according to a CBP fact sheet. They can also travel up to 172 mph at a ceiling altitude of 20,000 feet.

U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, said that although U.S. authorities have deferred to the Mexican government to control violence in the Tamaulipas state, those efforts have failed.