Laredo was founded by Don Tomas Sanchez under the name of Villa de San Agustin de Laredo in 1755 in a colony called Nuevo Santander in New Spain . Villa de San Agustin de Laredo was founded in 1755 by Don TomÃ s SÃ nchez while the area was part of the Nuevo Santander region in the Spanish colony of New Spain . Villa de San Agustin de Laredo got its name from Laredo , Cantabria , Spain and in honor of Saint Augustine of Hippo .