Southwest
Trump admin promises to be ‘ruthlessly aggressive’ in response to suspected cartel killing of US citizen
In response to the killing of an elderly South Texas rancher and U.S. citizen by a suspected cartel explosive, the Trump administration is promising to continue being “ruthlessly aggressive” in responding to cartel threats to Americans.
After 74-year-old U.S. citizen Antonio Céspedes Saldierna was killed in the blast, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes told Fox News Digital that the administration will be relentless in working to fully secure the border.
He said that President Donald Trump’s recent designation of eight cartels – including MS-13, Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua and several Mexican cartels – as foreign terrorist organizations, “makes clear his intention to treat violent cartel members exactly as they should be treated – as terrorists.”
Hughes did not offer any specifics on whether the administration is considering a military response to the suspected cartel killing but noted that the “administration has proven to be ruthlessly aggressive in pursuing criminal gangs that threaten our homeland.”
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The Trump administration is promising to continue being “ruthlessly aggressive” in responding to cartel threats to Americans.
He said that “President Trump will stop at nothing to secure our border, protect our communities, and dismantle terrorist organizations.”
As reported by local outlet KRGV-TV on Tuesday, Saldierna was driving in his truck about two hours south of the border in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas when he drove over an IED which exploded, taking his life.
His death comes after weeks of growing concerns among border leaders about an increase in cartel violence and activity just south of the U.S. border.
On Jan. 27, U.S. Border Patrol agents took fire from cartel members near Fronton, Texas.
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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after the last votes before the August recess on Thursday, July 25, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In early February, footage obtained by Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy’s office revealed the cartel also has drone capabilities and the capacity to drop airborne missiles on targets on the ground.
After Saldierna’s killing, Roy called for the U.S. to finally “take the fight to the cartels.”
“The results of Biden’s pathetic border policies have now culminated in the death of a Texas rancher driving to his ranch in Mexico through a cartel-planted IED – an explosive device commonly used by terrorist organizations in the Middle East,” Roy told Fox News Digital. “This savage display of violence is further evidence that these cartels must be treated as the terrorists that they are.”
Roy said Congress must act now to solidify the Trump administration’s designation of cartels and other migrant criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
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U.S. Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas, several weeks ago. (Texas Department of Public Safety)
“President Trump issued an Executive Order to designate Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Since 2019, I have introduced legislation to designate these lawless groups as FTO,” he said. “Now is the time to codify President Trump’s EO to take the fight to the cartels and wipe them out once and for all.”
Stressing the urgency of responding to the persisting cartel violence at the border, Mayra Flores, a former Republican congresswoman from South Texas, told Fox News Digital that Saldierna’s death “highlights the challenges that many face daily.”
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Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz, another South Texas Republican, emphasized ICE’s role in reducing the cartel’s ability to inflict violence on Americans. She told Fox News Digital she would “work with the Trump Administration to support the Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol and ICE Agents as they work to arrest every criminal and cartel member in our country and secure our border.”
Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district covers vast portions of the Southern border, also commented on the deaths, telling Fox News Digital that “cartels have no regard for our laws, let alone the sanctity of life.”
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This split shows Rep. Tony Gonzales and the southern border. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images | David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Gonzales said that he “fully” supports the Trump administration designating cartels as terrorist groups, which he said, “gives our government more resources to shut down their operations.”
“They are terrorists and deserve to be designated as such,” he explained. “This tragic death in South Texas is just another example of that.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to South Texas Democrat Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez but did not receive a response by publication.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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