The southern border dramatically improved after Joe Biden left office.
But there’s a grave danger still lurking there.
And a Texas rancher sounded the alarm on one scary problem at the border.
Texas rancher killed by a suspected explosive planted by the cartels
74-year-old rancher Antonio Cespedes Saldierna was killed in February after he drove over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Tamaulipas, Mexico, south of Brownsville, Texas.
TEXAS RANCHER OBLITERATED BY CARTEL BOMB – A deadly explosion has rocked the U.S.-Mexico border, leaving a beloved Texas rancher dead in what some are calling an act of war. 74-year-old Antonio Céspedes Saldierna never saw it coming. A cartel-planted IED turned his routine drive. pic.twitter.com/Wq0pWpHALL
— Kyria (@KyriaCeleste) February 25, 2025
One other man with him was killed, while a woman was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Saldierna immigrated to the United States in the 1970s and owned a sprawling ranch that occupied both sides of the Texas-Mexico border.
The Mexican drug cartels are suspected of planting the explosives.
Authorities warned that the cartels are turning to IEDs to keep criminal rivals from encroaching on their territory.
U.S. Army veteran Ramiro Cespedes called the IED that killed his father terrorism by the cartels during an appearance on Fox & Friends.
“These are the same tactics that the terrorist groups were using in Iraq,” Cespedes said. “I believe the cartels have more sophisticated equipment than the Mexican army has. Also, the training. They need some training on how to combat terrorism.”
Cespedes wasn’t given a clear answer about what happened when he got the tragic news.
“They wouldn’t tell me what had happened,” Cespedes recalled. “They told me he’d hit a landmine of some sort, and he was trapped in his vehicle.”
Cartels use tactics out of Iraq and Afghanistan
Cespedes had multiple tours of duty with the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He received a Purple Heart after he was injured by an IED.
The Army veteran never thought the tactics that he saw in the Middle East would be used on the family ranch.
“The people get used to these kinds of [cartel] actions, but the IEDs and drones, that’s something new,” Cespedes explained.
President Donald Trump has stepped up the fight against the cartels since he returned to office.
He designated them as foreign terrorist organizations and has increased surveillance of them through drones and spy planes.
Cespedes argued that Trump’s actions against the cartels would bring change to the border region.
“With President Trump’s new policy, I believe there are some changes coming up, especially here at the border,” Cespedes said.
He called the current fight against the cartels “one-sided.”
Authorities in Tamaulipas, Mexico, issued a warning about the growing number of IEDs on rural roads in the state.
A Mexican government truck ran over an IED in the city of Rio Bravo in Tamaulipas near the southern border.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller warned ranchers working near the border to be on high alert after the death of Saldierna.
“A tragic and alarming incident occurred near Brownsville, Texas, where a U.S. citizen and Texas rancher was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED). This shocking act of violence highlights the growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border,” Miller stated. “I encourage everyone in the agricultural industry to stay vigilant, remain aware of their surroundings, and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
The cartels are emboldened after former President Joe Biden let them have control of the southern border.
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