State government officials blamed Mexican cartels for the death of a U.S. rancher from south Texas who was killed by an improvised explosive device left on the U.S. side of the Mexico border.
“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,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a Republican, in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
This incident came days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated six Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. Those cartels included the Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, Cartel del Noreste (formerly Los Zetas), La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Cartel de Golfo (Gulf Cartel), and Carteles Unidos.
Additionally, weeks ago, a Mexican cartel member opened fire across the Rio Grande at U.S. forces, who returned two shots back into Mexico.
Following that incident, current and former senior Department of Homeland Security officials warned of escalating violence from the cartels, who have seen profits from human smuggling dry up since President Donald Trump took office.
Brownsville is located on the southern tip of Texas and has been a mecca for migrants seeking to enter the United States for the past decade because it is the shortest distance from the Mexico-Guatemala border.
Miller warned all Texas farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers who travel to Mexico or work near the border to “exercise extreme caution” in the coming days.
BORDER EXPERTS WARN OF VIOLENT PUSHBACK FROM CARTELS AMID TRUMP CRACKDOWN
“The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is a crucial part of Texas agriculture, and the safety of our agricultural community is of utmost importance,” Miller said in a statement. “We cannot overlook the rising violence that threatens not only lives but also the security of our farms, ranches, and rural communities.”
The departments of Homeland Security, State, and Defense did not respond to requests for comment.
