Texas ranchers who work near the southern border are being warned to be on high alert after a fellow rancher was killed in a brutal attack involving an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mexico earlier this month. The incident underscores the escalating dangers posed by cartel violence that has increasingly spilled over into areas frequented by American citizens, Fox reports.

Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, a Texas rancher who operated on both sides of the border, was driving near his property in Tamaulipas, Mexico—just south of Brownsville, Texas—when an IED detonated, killing him instantly, according to KRGV-TV. Also killed was Horacio Lopez Peña, while Peña’s wife, Ninfa Griselda Ortega, was hospitalized with injuries.

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

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller described the attack as part of the “growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border.” He issued a stark warning to ranchers and agricultural workers, urging them to “exercise extreme caution” when traveling near the border.

“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,” Miller said.

Texas rancher Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, who worked on both sides of the border, along with Horacio Lopez Peña, were killed while driving over a suspected-cartel IED in Tamaulipas, Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas, earlier this month.

Lopez’s wife, Ninfa Griselda… https://t.co/I1aMD7mj4p pic.twitter.com/wvUUdZSUZj

— Jennie Taer 🎗️ (@JennieSTaer) February 25, 2025

“Our agriculture family is the backbone of Texas, and we must do everything we can to protect it,” he added.

The gravity of the attack is not lost on military veterans who have seen similar violence in war zones overseas. Ramiro Céspedes, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the attack bore all the hallmarks of terrorism.

“I consider this a terrorist attack because if I went to war to fight terrorists, and I’m seeing the same thing here—to me, my personal opinion—it is a terrorist attack,” he told reporters.

The State Department has already issued travel advisories for U.S. citizens in Tamaulipas due to rampant crime, cartel warfare, and kidnappings. Local officials in Tamaulipas have also warned residents of explosive devices being placed on rural roads between Reynosa and Rio Bravo.

“Armed confrontations between organized crime groups have left explosive substances and materials on agricultural roads, holes, and fields that represent a latent risk to the people,” the Tamaulipas government wrote in Spanish on its official Facebook page.

According to a Tamaulipas state police spokesperson, IEDs are being strategically deployed by cartels to secure their turf and prevent rival factions from encroaching on their territory, KRGV-TV reported.

The Trump administration previously designated multiple cartel organizations as foreign terrorist organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Cártel del Norte, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, the Gulf Cartel, and Cárteles Unidos. Despite these designations, cartel violence has only escalated, raising concerns about the U.S. government’s response to an increasingly dangerous and lawless border region.