A religious event drew hundreds of people south of the border in Matamoros.
The "Antorcha Guadalupana" or "Guadalupe Torch" arrived in the Mexican border town Saturday night.
The faithful waited outside city limits as the torch arrived from San Fernando, Tamaulipas shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday.
Authorities provided plenty of security on hand for the event.
The torch is passed in an annual relay from the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico City to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City every year.
A group of runners from the Las Tortugas Running Club took turns carrying the torch into Matamoros.
Hundreds of faithful Catholics watched from sidewalks while others escorted the torch to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church off Avenida Solernau.
The torch crossed the border at the Gateway International Bridge on Saturday morning where it was received by Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores.
Another team of runners carried the torch from Brownsville to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle where it will later continue its journey north.
Organizers had been worried about security in Tamaulipas where shootouts between rival drug trafficking organizations and sometimes authorities are a daily occurence.
During a Saturday evening press conference, organizers said there were some "complications" in Tamaulipas but the torch had arrived safely to its destination.
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