Pedro Ignacio Saenz, Jr., known as Pete Saenz (born 1951), is the mayor of his
native Laredo in Webb County in south Texas, a position which he assumed on November 12, 2014.
Saenz was educated at the Roman Catholic St. Joseph's Academy in Laredo. He thereafter obtained Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Animal Science and Range Management, respectively, from Texas A&M University–Kingsville, then known as Texas A&I University, located near Corpus Christi in Kingsville. After a brief career as a range conservationist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Saenz entered law school and obtained his degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. With his wife, the former Minerva "Meva" Cadena (born 1950), an educator, and their three children, Pedro Saenz, III, Monica Saenz Vigil, and Roberto J. Saenz, he returned to Laredo to establish his law practice. His office is located on Chihuahua Street in south Laredo.
Saenz is the son of Pedro Saenz, Sr. (c. 1922-2014), and the late Maria del Refugio Martinez Saenz, known as Cuquita. His father died at the age of ninety-two, just two days before Saenz was elected mayor. His grandparents were Rafael Saenz, Sr., and the former Maria del Refugio Dilley.
Saenz's father was a self-educated dairyman and rancher who raised horses, cattle, goats, and pigs. During the late 1940s, Pedro and Cuquita established El Clavel Dairy Farm, and in 1950 they purchased Las Blancas Ranch in Webb County. Saenz, Sr., was named in 1983 as the "Best Conservation Rancher" and in 1996 as "Rancher of the Year". The couple is interred in the family plot at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Laredo. Mayor Saenz still works part-time on the family ranch.
Saenz's siblings are Graciela Martinez and Rolando Saenz. A second sister, Mary Pena, is deceased.
City of Laredo officials saw an opportunity to meet with Trump to give him a true perspective of not only the border, but the vital role that the City of Laredo plays in all issues related to border trade and security and why those issues are important to the rest of the country. ... Donald Trump has the national spotlight and the bully pulpit, and frankly everyone is listening to what he is saying. While I [Mayor Saenz], along with many here in Laredo, disagreed very much with his positions and comments, especially his characterization of Mexican immigrant and our relationship with Mexico, this wan an opportunity to engage him in meaningful dialogue that could hopefully have an impact on his rhetoric. I believe we accomplished that."
Later, Saenz told a gathering in the capital city of Austin that he felt compelled to be a "gracious host" to explain to Trump how a border wall and mass deportations were counterproductive: "I told him [the wall] was not practical ... aside from it being offensive to Mexico, which is our second- or third-largest trading partner, the cost is impractical, and it's not practical inside Texas, where the Rio Grande sometimes throughout the year is a source of drinking water for livestock. ... We’re a ranching community. What are you going to do — dam the tributaries? He did change his tone a little bit. He did say maybe the wall is not appropriate for the entire border and certain sections are not conducive for that.”
Saenz said that Trump misinterpreted the large crowd that greeted him at the Laredo International Airport. "When he landed, he asked, '‘Is it safe for me to get down (off the plane)?' In his mind, in his own consciousness, he perceived danger,” said Saenz. Though there were some protesters, the candidate faced no danger. As the two rode in Trump’s Suburban, Saenz said that Trump took note of all the people who came out to see him and remarked: "Hey, the Hispanics love me.” Saenz replied, "No, they don’t. They’ve never see a white Republican before," for Laredo is 96 percent Hispanic and solidly Democratic. Actually white Republicans, including George W. Bush and Clayton W. Williams, Jr., have occasionally campaigned, mostly unsuccessfully, in Laredo and Webb County.
Saenz was educated at the Roman Catholic St. Joseph's Academy in Laredo. He thereafter obtained Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Animal Science and Range Management, respectively, from Texas A&M University–Kingsville, then known as Texas A&I University, located near Corpus Christi in Kingsville. After a brief career as a range conservationist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Saenz entered law school and obtained his degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. With his wife, the former Minerva "Meva" Cadena (born 1950), an educator, and their three children, Pedro Saenz, III, Monica Saenz Vigil, and Roberto J. Saenz, he returned to Laredo to establish his law practice. His office is located on Chihuahua Street in south Laredo.
Saenz is the son of Pedro Saenz, Sr. (c. 1922-2014), and the late Maria del Refugio Martinez Saenz, known as Cuquita. His father died at the age of ninety-two, just two days before Saenz was elected mayor. His grandparents were Rafael Saenz, Sr., and the former Maria del Refugio Dilley.
Saenz's father was a self-educated dairyman and rancher who raised horses, cattle, goats, and pigs. During the late 1940s, Pedro and Cuquita established El Clavel Dairy Farm, and in 1950 they purchased Las Blancas Ranch in Webb County. Saenz, Sr., was named in 1983 as the "Best Conservation Rancher" and in 1996 as "Rancher of the Year". The couple is interred in the family plot at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Laredo. Mayor Saenz still works part-time on the family ranch.
Saenz's siblings are Graciela Martinez and Rolando Saenz. A second sister, Mary Pena, is deceased.
City of Laredo officials saw an opportunity to meet with Trump to give him a true perspective of not only the border, but the vital role that the City of Laredo plays in all issues related to border trade and security and why those issues are important to the rest of the country. ... Donald Trump has the national spotlight and the bully pulpit, and frankly everyone is listening to what he is saying. While I [Mayor Saenz], along with many here in Laredo, disagreed very much with his positions and comments, especially his characterization of Mexican immigrant and our relationship with Mexico, this wan an opportunity to engage him in meaningful dialogue that could hopefully have an impact on his rhetoric. I believe we accomplished that."
Later, Saenz told a gathering in the capital city of Austin that he felt compelled to be a "gracious host" to explain to Trump how a border wall and mass deportations were counterproductive: "I told him [the wall] was not practical ... aside from it being offensive to Mexico, which is our second- or third-largest trading partner, the cost is impractical, and it's not practical inside Texas, where the Rio Grande sometimes throughout the year is a source of drinking water for livestock. ... We’re a ranching community. What are you going to do — dam the tributaries? He did change his tone a little bit. He did say maybe the wall is not appropriate for the entire border and certain sections are not conducive for that.”
Saenz said that Trump misinterpreted the large crowd that greeted him at the Laredo International Airport. "When he landed, he asked, '‘Is it safe for me to get down (off the plane)?' In his mind, in his own consciousness, he perceived danger,” said Saenz. Though there were some protesters, the candidate faced no danger. As the two rode in Trump’s Suburban, Saenz said that Trump took note of all the people who came out to see him and remarked: "Hey, the Hispanics love me.” Saenz replied, "No, they don’t. They’ve never see a white Republican before," for Laredo is 96 percent Hispanic and solidly Democratic. Actually white Republicans, including George W. Bush and Clayton W. Williams, Jr., have occasionally campaigned, mostly unsuccessfully, in Laredo and Webb County.
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