LA JOYA, Texas — “We’ve already told you to stop speeding and you keep doing it,” said retired Vietnam veteran Apolonio Ramon.
A few days after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas toured the Rio Grande Valley to meet with DHS workforce to assess Southwest border readiness and response, retired Vietnam veteran Apolonio Ramon expressed frustration with the Texas guardsmen's driving habits.
“Yes, ‘cause they keep speeding down the road,” said Ramon with six service men and women standing 15 yards away.
The 78-year-old laid out his complaint.
“I was coming down with my grandson and one of these guys was speeding down this way and I said, ‘stop,’ and what he did was step on the gas and went by faster.”
The La Joya resident made his voice heard to guardsmen on Military Rd. near several baseball fields that the Border Patrol uses to process migrants caught crossing the Rio Grande without permission.
The international boundary dividing Mexico and the United States is less than 300 yards away.
“I appreciate them doing their job — but do it correctly.”
Spectrum News 1 reached out to the Texas Military Department following the incident Thursday afternoon.
TMD Public Affairs released the following statement:
“The Texas Military Department takes our obligation to the people of Texas very seriously, and values the trust placed in us. Any action by a Service Member that undermines that trust will not be tolerated. We have notified the appropriate commanders and we are looking into the incident. The Texas Military Department remains committed to providing safety and security for our state along the southern border.”
Ramon said he will soldier on to hold all servicemen and anyone in breach of public trust accountable.
“And you saw them try to come here and intimidate me, ‘why are you taking down our license plates…’ so I told them I was going to report them [to] the District Attorney’s Office.”