IED-related killing was in Mexico

The border that the U.S. shares with Mexico is more secure than anyone can remember in modern times, ever since Trump declared it a national emergency the day of his inauguration Jan. 20: “America’s sovereignty is under attack, Trump wrote. “Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans, including America.”

As such, his executive order went into effect, and more security assets, personnel, both state and federal, were moved to fortify the border last month and this month, which is why, Trump has said, recent border crossings are at record lows.

So why would anyone take a cartel-related tragedy out of Tamaulipas and claim it happened on this side of the border?

Shock value?

Not sure, but a “News and Media” Facebook page based out of Corpus with 264,000 followers posted the “news” accompanying this story, which is patently false.

The real story is, a Texas rancher based out of Cameron County, age 74, with a ranch approximately 90 miles south of Matamoros, drove over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Jan. 31 and tragically died from the explosion.

The FB page carried the story along with Glenn Beck, former Fox News talking head who now has his own platform, but they both got it wrong. Both claimed that the IED was planted on U.S. soil, not Mexican soil.

Beck started his show by calling the RGV the “Bloodsoaked dirt of Texas,” and then launched into the IED tragedy: “This isn’t (Afghanistan), this is our land (near Brownsville) where cartels are running wild.”

Beck’s show is posted on YouTube: “IED kills Texas rancher.”

For both the FB so-called “news” page, along with Glenn Beck, how many people now believe that IEDs are a problem in South Texas, as opposed to Mexico?

If legit news ever fails, from lack of advertising, subscriptions, this will be what we’re left with — supposed news outlets that can’t even bother to check the “real news.”

The IEDs

Four days before the Jan. 31 death of the U. S. rancher in Tamaulipas, along with the death of a working friend of his who was also in his pickup at the time, the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico released this statement, warning of the presence of IEDs south of the river: “The U.S. Consulate is aware of increasingly frequent gun battles occurring in and around Reynosa in the late night and early morning hours. Separately, the state of Tamaulipas has issued a warning to avoid moving or touching improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have been found in and around the area of Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso, and San Fernando along dirt and secondary roads.

“ IEDs are being increasingly manufactured and used by criminal organizations in this region. An IED destroyed a Government of Mexico (Conagua) official vehicle in Rio Bravo and injured its occupant on January 23. As a precaution, U. S. government employees have been ordered to avoid all travel in and around Reynosa and Rio Bravo outside of daylight hours and to avoid dirt roads throughout Tamaulipas.”

According to one Mexican source, the Gulf Cartel has splintered into two warring factions, both of which apparently think that IEDs are a great way to kill the “ enemy.”

Unfortunately, the buried explosives are also killing the innocents, including Cameron County based rancher, Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, who died Jan. 31.

RIP. Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller urged caution for those in the ag community who work both sides of the river: “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.”

Along with Miller, the U.S. Embassy in Matamoros also issued a warning about the IEDs found in Tamaulipas: “The U.S. Consulate is aware of increasingly frequent gun battles occurring in and around Reynosa in the late night and early morning hours. Separately, the state of Tamaulipas has issued a warning to avoid moving or touching improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have been found in and around the area of Reynosa, Rio Bravo, Valle Hermoso, and San Fernando along dirt and secondary roads. IEDs are being increasingly manufactured and used by criminal organizations in this region.”