Texas Rancher Killed Near Border In IED Attack By Cartel Terrorist

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller released a shocking statement on Tuesday about a Texas rancher blown up by an improvised explosive device planted by cartel terrorists near the US-Mexico border. 

“A tragic and alarming incident occurred near Brownsville, Texas, where a US 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 wrote in a statement. 

He continued:

I urge all Texas farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers who travel to Mexico or operate near the border 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. We cannot overlook the rising violence that threatens not only lives but also the security of our farms, ranches, and rural communities.

I encourage everyone in the agricultural industry to stay vigilant, remain aware of their surroundings, and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. Additionally, you can avoid dirt roads and remote areas, refrain from touching unfamiliar objects that could be explosive devices, limit travel to daylight hours, stay on main roads, and avoid cartel-controlled regions. Our agriculture family is the backbone of Texas, and we must do everything we can to protect it.”

Miller’s office spoke with NewsNation about the IED attack that occurred earlier this month. Officials stated that rancher Antonio Cespedes Saldierna, who operated on both sides of the border, was killed when his truck struck the explosive device on a dirt road.

NEW: Texas border rancher k*lled by a suspected cartel IED at the Southern Border, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture.

74-year-old Rancher Antonio Céspedes Saldierna was driving on his ranch when the explosive detonated.

According to the New York Post, Saldierna… pic.twitter.com/PZyY8isbgJ

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 25, 2025

Also killed was Horacio Lopez Pena. Ninfa Griselda Ortega, Lopez’s wife, was hospitalized with severe injuries. 

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham issued a separate statement emphasizing that these violent acts should be condemned at the highest level.

Last month, the US State Department issued the highest-level travel warning for some Mexican towns next to the US–Mexico border due to high risks of IEDs, gun battles, kidnappings, and other chaos.

Drug cartels, including Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha, Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Carteles Unidos, Cartel del Noreste, Cartel del Golfo, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana, were recently designated as “foreign terrorist organizations” by the State Department as our latest reporting only suggests the Trump administration will destroy the command and control centers of these cartels responsible for the drug death overdose crisis in America that kills 100,000 per year.