Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said he is calling on Washington D.C. to take stronger action against cartel activity at the border.

Miller made the call during a Monday visit in San Juan, the day after the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes.

The death sparked a surge in cartel violence across Mexico that’s resulted in over 70 deaths, according to the Associated Press.

“Texans, especially our farmers, ranchers and anyone working along the southern border, need to stay sharp,” Miller said.

Miller said he's concerned about spillover violence and he's calling on President Donald Trump to get the U.S. military involved.

“Everything we got we throw it at them,” Miller said. “Whatever it takes to get the mission accomplished."

Miller said cartels aren't just a threat to public safety. Cartel activity is also threatening the stability of agriculture on our side of the border, Miller said.

According to Miller, the cartel controls everything from fertilizer distribution, seed supply, packing houses to trucking routes.

Miller said farmers in cartel-controlled regions in Mexico are being forced to pay for security, and others are being told what to produce by the cartel.

“They have a hand in everything, they control everything so it’s not a free and fair market system,” Miller said. 

Miller said he is calling for ranchers and farmers to remain on alert and report anything suspicious.

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