An improvised explosive device killed a Texas rancher last month, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says.
“This shocking act of violence highlights the growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border,” Miller said in a statement Tuesday.
Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, was killed at the end of January when his vehicle detonated an IED on his ranch in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, according to local Rio Grande Valley’s KGRV-TV Channel 5, the local ABC affiliate. Tamaulipas borders the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.
Saldierna was a U.S. citizen and worked on both sides of the border.
Horacio Lopez Peña was also killed in the explosion, and his wife was severely injured.
Miller urged all Texans living and working along the border with Mexico and traveling between the two countries to “exercise extreme caution.”
“The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is a crucial part of Texas agriculture, and the safety of our agricultural community is of utmost importance,” he said. “We cannot overlook the rising violence that threatens not only lives, but also the security of our farms, ranches, and rural communities.”
A Tamaulipas state police spokesperson said in an interview with Channel 5 news that cartels use IEDs to protect their territory from opposing criminal organizations.
“These unspeakable, violent acts should be condemned at the highest level,” Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham told The Daily Signal.
“We have been talking about the cartels’ use of IEDs for years,” Buckingham said. “These actions threaten the safety and security of American citizens and must be brought to an end.”
The news of the incident comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection has warned agents of increased threats from the criminal cartels operating along the border.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Military Department have, in recent years, discovered “caches of weapons, including IEDs” on a small Texas island in the Rio Grande, Buckingham said.
“Unfortunately, extreme violence, including the use of IEDs, has become more common over the last few years as cartels were emboldened by weak leadership in Washington, D.C.,” according to Buckingham.
“I encourage all Texans to remain vigilant and cautious,” she said. “Rest assured, the newly elected Trump administration and the State of Texas will use all means necessary to bring an end to the cartel’s grip over South Texas.”
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of designating the criminal cartels as terrorist organizations. On Feb. 20, the State Department announced that it had designated eight organizations, including the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
Trump has also signed executive orders aimed at securing the southern border and stopping the flow of illegal immigration and drugs into the U.S.