A Texas family is in mourning after a father was killed by an explosive device on his ranch in Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas. Now his son is speaking out, calling the attack an act of terrorism by the cartels.
“These are the same tactics that the terrorist groups were using in Iraq,” U.S. Army veteran Ramiro Céspedes told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday.
“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.”
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Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, a rancher who worked on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated as he drove on his property last month. Two other people were also in the car at the time of the blast, killing one man and sending a woman to the hospital.
Antonio immigrated to the United States in the 1970s in pursuit of the American dream, according to his son. After retiring over a decade ago, he bought property in Mexico, where he raised cattle and farmed.
Ramiro recalled the moment he received the devastating news.
“They wouldn’t tell me what had happened,” he said. “They told me he’d hit a landmine of some sort, and he was trapped in his vehicle.”
Ramiro, who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was wounded by an explosive device during deployment and was awarded a Purple Heart. He never imagined his father would fall victim to the same tactics he faced in the Middle East.
“The people get used to these kinds of [cartel] actions, but the IEDs and drones, that’s something new,” he said.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called the explosion “tragic and alarming,” urging residents near the border and those traveling to Mexico to exercise “extreme caution.” He also warned that cartel activity is becoming an increasing threat along the southern border.
Officials in Tamaulipas, Mexico, recently issued a warning about explosive devices on rural roads near the border. The U.S. embassy in Mexico has also cautioned travelers, reporting that IEDs are being used more frequently in the region.
In early January, an explosive device detonated beneath a government truck belonging to Mexico’s federal water agency in Rio Bravo.
Ramiro believes the U.S. must do more to support Mexico in combating cartel violence, particularly under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“With President Trump’s new policy, I believe there are some changes coming up, especially here at the border,” he said, describing the current situation as a “one-sided war.”
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The Trump administration has designated multiple cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, including Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and Cártel de Sinaloa. The designation allows law enforcement to use additional tools and resources against threats.
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