Ranching on the Southern Border

[Texan]

Texas Ag Commissioner Staples calls for immediate federal action to protect farmers, ranchers along Texas border


With Texas farmers and ranchers playing a critical role in supplying our nation's food, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples unveiled ProtectYourTexasBorder.com Thursday in response to recent comments from federal officials undermining the real and present impact of Mexican drug cartel violence on American soil.

The website shares the struggle of those who work so hard to feed our nation, while under the threat of criminals who are illegally entering the United States. The site profiles the harrowing true stories of farmers, ranchers and other citizens who deal daily with intimidation, trespassing, drug runners and property damage. Staples will use the site as a tool to implore the federal government to provide the resources Texas needs to secure its border.

"Our farmers and ranchers along the Rio Grande are caught in the middle of a border war that affects every citizen of our nation," Staples said. "A threat to our food supply is a threat to our homeland security. Texas stands ready to fight these terrorists and protect our residents, but we must have increased federal support to secure our borders, defeat our enemies and safeguard our national food supply. As providers of the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supply in the world, Texas farmers and ranchers deserve the protection of our federal government."

Through video interviews, news stories and photographs collected with help from the Texas Farm Bureau and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, ProtectYourTexasBorder.com gives visitors an understanding of the realities of our state's border war, and how their food depends on safe passage through Texas border cities in order to reach the entire U.S.

"The Rio Grande Valley of Texas is one of the nation's most important agricultural areas and we are very concerned about the current level of crime and violence there," said Texas Farm Bureau President Kenneth Dierschke. "The potential disruption of agricultural production in the Valley would create problems at a time when some commodities are already in short supply."

"We feel like somebody is going to be killed before this is over," said Duda Farms Operations Manager Cliff Chambers. "I've been here about 25 years and things have definitely changed. We're scared to go on our farms."

"The war on terrorism is not only being waged overseas, but also right here at home," Staples said. "It's time for the federal government to answer the call of duty and provide sufficient protection for our citizens and resources."

Texas leads the United States in the production of cattle and calves, sheep, goats, horses, cotton, hay, wool and mohair. The Texas agriculture industry also employs one out of every seven working Texans.

Texas Border Counties

The 15 counties along the Texas border with Mexico include nearly 8,200 farms and ranches covering more than 15 million acres.

Texas border farms and ranches contribute significantly to the fruit, vegetable and beef provided to consumers across the state and nation.

The Texas border counties account for nearly half of the state's fruit and vegetable production and nearly 4 percent of the state's total agricultural income.

Farms and ranches in Texas border counties generate over $700 million in agricultural sales annually, making them critical to the economic health of the region.

Texas border counties are the leading gateway for U.S. trade with Mexico, our second largest trading partner in the world.

Agricultural exports from Texas to Mexico totaled nearly $1.4 billion in 2010.


Texas Border Counties' Contribution to U.S. Food Supply

Farms and ranches along the Texas border region make a significant contribution to the nation's food and fiber supply. Below is the annual volume of commodities produced in Texas border counties:

439 million lbs. of grapefruit
135 million lbs. of oranges
116 million lbs. of cabbage
252 million lbs. of onions
65 million lbs. of potatoes
6 million lbs. of cantaloupes
20 million lbs. of honeydew melons
173 million lbs. of watermelons
332,000 head of cattle that will produce almost 250 million pounds of beef
27 million lbs. of cotton
248 million lbs. of corn
3 billion lbs. of sugarcane (Cameron County is home to one of the few remaining sugarcane mills in the nation. It is the only one located in Texas)
1 billion lbs. of grain sorghum

(Source: USDA and 2010 import/export data.)

http://tscra.org/news_blog/?p=2192


http://www.protectyourtexasborder.com/

 

[Texan]

West Texas Sheriff's Office
Stays Busy With Border Unrest

By John Bradshaw

SIERRA BLANCA, Texas — Hudspeth County in far West Texas is a big area with few people, and — especially in recent years — a whole lot of illegal activity coming out of Mexico.

When Sheriff Arvin West was first contacted about an interview on exactly what is happening in his county, he said, "Sure, I'll take you down to the river and get you shot at."

West was not just being dramatic, either. Only a couple of days before he made that statement, several county employees came under gunfire while working near the Rio Grande.

That episode happened in mid-January, just east of Neely's Crossing, which has never been an official port but has always been a favorite of outlaws. It is not clear if the shots were fired at the workers or if there was a gun battle taking place in Mexico and stray rounds landed in Texas. The men didn't hang around to investigate.

"But bullets were flying over here, and the bottom line is that one of our county employees could have been killed," Sheriff West said.

West has been in law enforcement since 1983 and the Hudspeth County sheriff since 2000. He is also a second generation trucker and rancher who grew up day working and running trucks. His in-laws own a large ranch, as well.

"And I'm still in the damn trucking business, and I chase bad guys," West said.

The sheriff is a good-natured West Texas native who makes fun of his own height and weight. He was open, talking on the speaker phone in front of a reporter, and when he was asked if he minded the publication of the fact that he had just sent a deputy to arrest a county constable for interfering with an investigation, he nonchalantly replied, "I don't care."

Hudspeth County stretches across nearly 4600 square miles, holds only 3300 people, and is bordered by 97 miles of the Rio Grande and seven miles of border fence. West does not believe the intermittent fence is effective. He compared it to an old water line. If one leak is fixed, another just springs up elsewhere.

The sheriff headed west out of Sierra Blanca down Interstate 10, followed closely by two deputies in another pickup. When asked what they were doing, he replied that they were for backup. He and his deputies regularly patrol alone, but he said he was not taking a reporter to the river without assistance.

Hudspeth County does not get a lot of illegal alien traffic, and West isn't too concerned with that anyway. He is concerned about the smuggling, and there is plenty of that because of the proximity to Juarez and the short distance from the river to the interstate. In the western half of the county, I-10 and the Rio Grande almost merge, coming to within a mile or so of each other.

The drug mules often carry their loads on foot, or occasionally horseback, up to the interstate and waiting vehicles. Most people think it all heads east, toward Sierra Blanca and the rest of Texas, but West said most of it is hauled back west to El Paso, where it is repackaged and sent out, either in small shipments or even large lots loaded onto semi-trucks.

All that dope leaving El Paso will have to go through a checkpoint somewhere, but West said much of it makes it through. A lot more gets through than is found.

Since many loads are moved by truck, the smugglers know trucking schedules. In West Texas, Wednesday is the peak day for truck traffic, because of the way cross-country shipping works with Monday morning deliveries.

There is a steady line of trucks on the interstate on Wednesdays, West said. Some of them stop in El Paso or elsewhere and add a few hundred pounds of marijuana to their load.

When traffic gets backed up at a checkpoint, the Border Patrol is forced to do what is called flushing, which is when several trucks at a time are waved through. The dogs can't sniff trucks that are going 20 miles per hour, West pointed out.

On the other side of the county, a few smugglers leave the Indian Hot Springs area and head for Van Horn, but the distance is too far and the country too rough for most. The northern portions of Hudspeth County are not immune, either. Occasionally illegals or smugglers will make it that far, and they'll break into a house or cause some other trouble, but West said it is rare.

The majority of the dope is marijuana. One year all the law enforcement departments in Hudspeth County together confiscated 300,000 pounds of pot. The sheriff's office evidence room was full of it last month, despite having recently been cleaned out.

Some meth is smuggled through, but West said his department doesn't see too much of it. He believes the majority of it is shipped north from El Paso.

"But we do know they are manufacturing meth in Mexico, and really being big producers of it," he said.

There are ranches and farms in southern Hudspeth County, but nothing too major has happened to them. Most of the ranchers mind their own business and stay out of things. They know to stay out of the way, and West said they leave the area when they see a group of people gather across the river.

Over the last few years things have certainly intensified along the border in Hudspeth County. But in years past it was like a cat-and-mouse game, West said.

"We'd go stand on the levee and flex our muscles, and they'd stand there and give us some bi-national gestures."

He told of one instance when a Mexican man stole a hay baler in Texas. The thief was towing the baler with an early 1970s model pickup, running from the law.

The old truck got stuck in the river, and West called for a wrecker to pull it out. Before the wrecker arrived, West decided to tow the truck and baler out with a giant earth-moving machine that was parked nearby.

About that time a small and very old John Deere tractor came chugging up the south side of the river to rescue the thief. West said the tractor was sputtering and spitting and blowing smoke rings.

West and his deputies hooked their big tractor to the baler with a tow rope, but the sheriff told everyone to hold off until the Mexicans hooked their little tractor up.

"I told them, 'We'll drag the whole damn thing over and get their tractor, too.'"

The Mexicans chained their old tractor to the old pickup, with the Texas law enforcement standing on the other side of the river, already hooked up. In that area the river is fairly small, shallow and perhaps 15-20 feet across, so the men were all close to each other and each certainly knew what the other was planning.

When the David versus Goliath tractor pull began, the old John Deere went from blowing little smoke rings to great big ones but was still bound to lose. Then the Americans' tow strap broke. The Mexicans headed south with their old tractor, old pickup and new hay baler.

West said there used to be a family with the last name of Mota who lived across from Neely's Crossing. West found their last name both fitting and amusing. He and the eldest Mota had a small war going on. West would take a backhoe and tear out the crossing so vehicles couldn't pass, but as soon as he left, Mota would fire up his bulldozer and rebuild the crossing. West always wanted to catch the bulldozer in Texas and impound it.

"I swore to that old man that I would get that thing, put it on a flatbed, weld the tracks to the flatbed, and we'd take it to every damn parade we go to," he said.

He never caught the bulldozer north of the river, and now the Mota family is gone, killed in the drug wars.

The cat and mouse game became serious January 23, 2006. Operating on information obtained by deputies, personnel from both the DPS and sheriff's office attempted to pull over three vehicles thought to be carrying drugs.

The vehicles fled back toward Mexico. One blew a tire, and 1474 pounds of marijuana was recovered. The other two vehicles continued to Neely's Crossing. When deputies approached the crossing, they saw a Mexican military humvee 200 yards inside the United States.

The military vehicle, which was carrying armed soldiers, crossed the river ahead of the two pursued vehicles, one of which got stuck in the river. West said soldiers flanked the Americans from the Mexican side, but they were armed and protecting the load of dope.

Those soldiers were videoed protecting their compatriots as they unloaded the drugs. Once the vehicle was unloaded, they set fire to it.

Even with eye-witness accounts and the video evidence, there were many who would not believe law enforcement's account of the events. West is certain, though.

"There is no doubt that there was Mexican military on our side," West said. "And there isn't a soul who lives up and down this river who won't tell you it was Mexican military."

Things were quiet along the river during West's recent tour, in fact very quiet. The sheriff pointed across into Mexico, where all the small villages are abandoned. The cartel ran or burned the people out, for fear they would report to law enforcement.

Sergeant Keith Hughes, one of the deputies following West, joked that he is planning to move to Porvenir, across from Fort Hancock, and go into the real estate business.

"It's a buyer's market," Hughes remarked.

Porvenir is not empty now, as some of the other villages are, but the cartel is said to still burn a house now and then. Extortion money is now supposedly demanded from homeowners, not just business owners.

At one point an SUV could be seen traveling a dirt road within Mexico. Because of the rural area, and the fact that the law-abiding citizens have been run out, West said there was a 95 percent chance the occupants were up to no good.

Before the border scene changed, West had many connections in Mexico. If a crime was committed in Texas by a Mexican who went back south, West could call the presidente de municipal, an officer similar to a county judge.

West had only to describe the crime and the property stolen, and give the name of the criminal if he knew it, which he often did. The next morning the criminal and the property would be waiting at the international bridge.

One time a backhoe was stolen, and West knew who took it. He called the presidente, who told him to be at the gate at eight o'clock the next morning. That next morning the backhoe was sitting there idling, and the thief was waiting in handcuffs, with a note in his pocket asking West to please return the handcuffs.

Old patrol cars will not bring much at auction, so West began donating them and other used law enforcement items to his Mexican counterparts. When he began, the Mexicans had one patrol car and two motorcycles for the entire valley. West began gathering items from other U.S. agencies and donating them as well, and the Mexicans were extremely grateful. They called him Don Arvin.

Now all that cooperation, and the entire Mexican police force, is gone.

"They're all dead down there now. They don't even have a police force," he said. "It doesn't pay to be a good honest cop in Mexico now."

West used to travel to Mexico often to buy cattle. He has not been since the violence escalated.

Hudspeth County received much national attention last year when at a town hall meeting in Fort Hancock West advised his rural citizens to arm themselves.

"I wanted them to know that I stand behind them in the event that they have to save their own lives. I made the comment that I'd rather see them tried by 12 than carried by six."

Though that statement was intended for the county's ranchers and farmers, West said he doesn't have a problem with any of his good citizens carrying a gun.

"Hell, if they want to strap one on their hip and walk around town, I don't care."

West knows his county citizens would assist him or his officers if the need ever arose. He has 17 deputies on the payroll, but he said he could have half the county working for him at a moment's notice.

As West drove along the Rio Grande, pointing out the unmanned footbridges and the cable car above the river, a herd of horses could be seen grazing along the levee. West wasn't certain if they were American or Mexican-owned. Mexican livestock crossing over is a common problem in the area, particularly since the Mexican villages have been abandoned. People left their livestock along with their homes.

A lone Charolais bull was found lying in the shade next to the dirt road. West suspected it might be an illegal, so he stopped, rolled down the window and asked, "You got your green card?"

Soon after, West drove upon two Border Patrolmen assisting Robby Cabezuela, a USDA Quarantine Enforcement Officer, who was gathering about 10 head of illegal cattle. West and the two deputies following him joined in the roundup.

The cattle were finally hemmed up in a corner, surrounded by two sheriff's office pickups and two Border Patrol vehicles, one of which was hauling the USDA man.

"Now, this is what you call cooperation," West said. "We haven't had this in a long time."

Cabezuela had his trailer parked in a fenced lane, with portable panels set up for wings. Just as the cattle were about to be trapped, one jumped over the dilapidated barbwire fence and the rest followed, into the brush and out of sight.

Only a few minutes later, while West and his two deputies, the two Border Patrolmen, Cabezuela and the Livestock Weekly reporter stood visiting, a bobcat walked out of the brush about 50 yards away.

Sergeant Keith Hughes retrieved his rifle from the truck, because sheriff's office protection in Hudspeth County extends to livestock as well. Hughes, with his open-sight rifle resting across the hood, missed the bobcat 10 or 12 times, to the incredible enjoyment of his spectators.

The unfortunate Hughes was teased for the remainder of the day. West, who makes fun of himself just as much as he does others, explained that a sense of humor is necessary in their business.

Securing the border could be a simple matter, claimed Sheriff West. The U.S. military should be brought in for training maneuvers. Their presence alone would likely be deterrent enough. That solution is too simple to ever be implemented, West believes.

He also believes he could secure Hudspeth County's border with 75 deputies, to the point where nothing would cross.

"I would put them on the border, something the Border Patrol doesn't comprehend."

West told a story about a cowboy named Julio, who is originally from Mexico but here legally. Julio worked on their ranch for many years, and West said Julio is as good a horseman as anyone. Several years ago, when the border problems increased and began getting national media attention, West's son came to him.

At that time the boy was about seven years old, and he asked his father, "Dad, why do you want to send Julio back to Mexico?" West explained to his son that he is not interested in sending Julio back to Mexico, nor anyone else who is here for work.

"I've had to explain that in Washington. I don't care who comes over here to better their life. I don't care who comes to work. I'd like to hire two or three. But I'd like to tell which are the good guys and which are the bad guys."


http://www.livestockweekly.com/

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

They seem to be really loading the border up here with Border Patrol agents.
They have brand new Homeland Security office in Plentywood and Scobey Montana. Approximately 50 miles apart. I am sure they have many more both east and west of us..
We used to have one Border Patrol and the Sheriff and more local traffic going to visit or buy beer. Not much very illegal. I don't see much border jumping traffic anymore altho I live north of the Hiway in a coulee. Most of the old time localsthat occasionally crossed have gotten old or moved on or passed on.
I understand they have about 14 agents and possibly that many more coming. I just don't really know how they pass the time. Maybe shooting gophers. :?

Glad we don't have the problems of the southern border.

 

[gcreekrch]

Makes a guy realize just how nice it is here.

 

[Denny]

cold weather has it's perks.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm thinkin that the US oughtta dig a tunnel from the southern border to the northern border and rename Canada "Newer and Improved Mexico".

 

[Last Man]

A couple years ago me and Mrs. Last Man drove out to Alpine Texas to visit some friends and see Big Bend National Park. We got stopped at several border check points where they certainly checked inside your vehicle. All the ranchers out there grade a dirt strip on the inside of their perimeter fence,by riding that perimeter they can check for tracks to see if anybody passed through there. What a mess.

 

[Whitewing]

Back in the late 90's I used to cross the border at Laredo (with high powered rifles) and then drive to Nuevo Leon and deer hunt. It was interesting enough entering Mexico with firearms back then, I can only imagine what it would be like today.

I'd not make that trip now. I've heard Nuevo Laredo is a real battle ground for the drug cartels.