Texas ranchers say changes in immigration and border security policies by the Biden administration created chaos, danger, and personal costs to those living along the Texas border with Mexico. Record migrant crossings leave residents as far as a hundred miles from the border scrambling to keep up with the damages caused to their property.
“The folks along the border will tell you that they have always dealt with illegals but this is different,” Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening told Breitbart Texas. ” The sheer magnitude and number of people moving through is overwhelming. The brashness and expectations of the people is different than years ago.”
Boening said ranchers in South Texas are dealing with three main issues in regard to the border crisis. Those include economic losses from damages to gates, fences, crops, and other property being destroyed by human smugglers as they flee from law enforcement. They also include concerns for the safety of their families and employees.
Texas ranchers who live not only along the border, but as far inland as 100 miles, tell the stories of their experiences with the migrants and the damages inflicted on their property.
Rancher Stephanie Crisp-Canales said her ranch is located more than 60 miles from the Mexican border. “It has never been this bad down here,” she said. “Despite what the media reports — doesn’t report — there is a crisis going on down here.”
She described life on her ranch and the damages caused by what are referred to as bailouts. Bailouts are what happens at the end of a law enforcement pursuit when the smuggler will drive through the ranchers’ gates and fences forcing expensive repairs on the ranchers and endangering the public traveling on the roadways.
“They plow through our fences, they plow through our gates,” Crisp-Canales explained. “They either will wreck the vehicle or they will purposely stop the vehicle, and everybody in that vehicle bails.”
She said the ranchers now must bear the cost of repairing their gates and fences. They are also liable for any accidents caused by cattle getting out onto the roadways.
She also explained the dangers to their cattle from the garbage left behind by those being smuggled through the ranchlands. She said they must also be vigilant anytime they stop to open a gate as migrants will hide and attempt to steal their vehicles.
Brian King, a farmer near the border in Dimmit County showed some of the damages caused to his fences by human smugglers operating in the area.
“We went from, during the last six years, a few incidences of people running through our fences and illegal aliens crossing our place to now, it being a weekly occurrence,” King said while standing in front of a recently damaged fence. “They came in off the highway back there and ran through this fence.”
He explained this one incident will cost about $1,500 to repair. “It’s been a weekly occurrence now for the last four months,” King stated.
Bill Martin, another rancher in Dimmit County, said, “I have been a rancher in Dimmit County all of my life and this is just about the worst I have ever seen in traffic coming through from the border.”
Martin said he encounters migrants seeking directions to Carrizo Springs, Texas, on a daily basis.
“Practically daily, I have water issues,” he explained. “I found a water line that was left running.
“They opened a valve and let the water run out into a dirt tank,” the rancher said. “If I hadn’t found it, it would have shorted out a pressure pump. That would have cost me about $1,500. But luckily, I got there.”
“Fences have been run through and houses have been broken into,” Martin stated. “Prior to this year, I bet I went two years without seeing a single illegal. In the past two weeks, I saw more than I saw in the past two years.”
“We can’t keep gates closed,” he said. “We can keep water sources where they need to be.”
Recently, Texas Governor Greg Abbott asked farmers and ranchers in South Texas to keep track of the costs associated with migrant smuggling through their ranches, Breitbart Texas reported .
“I strongly encourage Texas landowners along the border to report any personal property damages they incur due to unlawful immigration, by completing the Self Reporting Damage Survey, our state will be equipped with the necessary data to continue addressing the ongoing crisis at our southern border and provide the support our landowners and communities need to stay safe and secure,” the Texas governor said in a written statement.
The Farm Bureau’s Russell Boening explained that it is not just the cost to the ranchers and farmers that concerns them. It is also the inhumane treatment of the migrants themselves at the hands of the cartel-connected smugglers.
“They are often lied to by the human smugglers,” Boening said. “They are left to fend for themselves if they can’t keep up. This often happens to children.”
“I’m sure you saw the incident where 5 children under the age of 11 were found abandoned by a landowner,” he continued. “And then if they do make it, where do they end up? Set up with gangs, forced into prostitution?”
In May, a Texas rancher near Eagle Pass, Texas, found five little girls who had been abandoned on their ranch. The smugglers left the girls, all under the age of six, with no food, water, or adults to care for them, Breitbart’s Randy Clark reported .
Rancher Kate Hobbs showed the conditions in which they found the little girls.
“The influx across the border is out of control, and the Biden Administration has shown that is not going to step up and do its job,” Abbott told Breitbart Texas in a one-on-one interview a few hours ahead of his Border Security Summit on Thursday. “And, amidst reports of even more people coming in across the border, we know we have to step up and do more.”
Abbott told President Trump during a recent border visit that during Operation Lone Star, Texas law enforcement officers have already arrested nearly 1,800 people for criminal violations of state law.
The governor said this is in addition to: “40,000 apprehensions of people who’ve come across the border illegally, and they have busted 41 stash houses.”
Boening explained how different the current border crisis is compared to previous spikes in border crossings.
“The brashness and expectations of the people is different than years ago,” the Farm Bureau president concluded. “We often hear about the unaccompanied minors and family units that actually give themselves up to authorities, but there are also groups of young male adults moving through carrying backpacks and accompanied by a coyote with an automatic weapon. Do we really think these folks are looking for asylum or work?”
More video interviews with ranchers from Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona may be found on the Texas Farm Bureau Border Crisis Impact page.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team . He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook .
Large Group of Migrant Children Abandoned in Arizona Desert near Border Photo: U.S. Border Patrol/Tucson Sector 3:08
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 100 migrants in the desert near Sasabe, Arizona. Human smugglers abandoned the group that contained more than 90 unaccompanied minors.
Border Patrol agents patrolling the Arizona border with Mexico near Sasabe encountered a large group of migrants, according to a tweet by Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin. The group consisted of more than 100 migrants.
Included with the group were more than 90 unaccompanied alien children.
“After crossing the border illegally, they were left in the scorching heat until agents arrived,” Chief Modlin wrote.
Elsewhere in the Tucson Sector, Border Patrol agents arrested a Guatemalan man who illegally crossed the border near Nogales, Arizona. A background check revealed a warrant from an Illinois court for Failure to Appear. The agents turned the man over to the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office for extradition to Illinois.
Human smugglers find many ways to abuse the migrants they are transporting into the U.S. Earlier this week, Chief Modlin tweeted a report of a group of 11 migrants found locked inside a tractor-trailer. The migrants had limited air circulation and no means of escape in the event of a crash or abandonment by the smugglers.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team . He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Face .
Downtown West Texas Border City Sees Uptick in Human Smuggling Car Wrecks Laredo CBP 2:28
In recent weeks, a spate of accidents involving human smugglers has plagued the city streets of Laredo, Texas, endangering the public, and in one case, costing the lives of migrants.
On Wednesday, Border Patrol agents were summoned to assist Texas Highway Patrol troopers with a vehicle pursuit south of downtown. Ultimately, the pursued vehicle collided with another, resulting in extensive damages.
Border Patrol reports that multiple injuries were suffered and several passengers were taken to hospitals. Five migrants who had recently entered the United States illegally were arrested at the scene. The accident and the smuggling case remain under investigation.
In late June, a similar accident occurred near the downtown area. According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on June 23, a Border Patrol agent observed migrants boarding a white pickup truck a short distance from the Rio Grande.
The truck then left the area at a high rate of speed with the migrants riding in the open bed. As Border Patrol searched for the truck near downtown, they happened upon an accident scene involving the suspect vehicle near Main Avenue and Jefferson Street. Responding agents determined suspected migrants were thrown from the vehicle after a collision with an SUV.
Two migrants died on the scene and a third was transported to a San Antonio hospital where he died two days later. Eight other occupants, also believed to be migrants, were severely injured and taken to area hospitals. Thus far, the identities and nationalities of those involved have not been released.
According to CBP, this latter incident is being investigated by the Laredo Police Department. The Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office and CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing the incident as well.
The surge in migrant traffic along the entire southwest border is sparking concern from border residents , law enforcement officers , and elected officials . is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
Two Large Migrant Groups Arrested After Crossing Border into Texas File Photo: U.S. Border Patrol/Rio Grande Valley Sector 2:59
Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents encountered two large groups of migrants who illegally crossed the Mexican border into Texas. The agents apprehended a total of 233 migrants from five countries. The groups included at least 55 unaccompanied minors.
McAllen Station Border Patrol agents patrolling near Mission, Texas, on Tuesday evening encountered a group of 115 migrants who had just illegally crossed the border, according to information obtained from Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials.
During screening, the agents identified 40 unaccompanied alien children, 68 family unit aliens, and seven single adults, officials stated. The 115 migrants came to the U.S. from Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Other McAllen Station agents patrolling the border near Hidalgo, Texas, on Sunday morning encountered another large group of migrants. Initially, the agents made contact with 90 migrants. A few minutes later, 28 additional migrants approached from the Rio Grande.
In total, this group consisted of 118 migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The group consisted of 15 unaccompanied minors, 75 family members, and 28 single adults.
The agents processed the 233 migrants under Rio Grande Valley Sector and CDC Title 42 guidelines.
“Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation,” Border Patrol officials said in a written statement.
The June migration report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected to be released in the next few days. It is likely it will continue to show increasing numbers of illegal migrant crossings, according to a recent conversation with CBP officials.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team . He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook .
Cartel Smugglers Toss Infants, Children into Texas Border River Photo: U.S. Border Patrol/Rio Grande Valley Sector 3:52
Border Patrol agents and Coast Guard crews rescued migrants across the Rio Grande Valley Sector after human smugglers put them in jeopardy. In multiple incidents, smugglers moved women, children, and even infants into the river that separates Texas and Mexico. One woman was saved after an alleged sexual assault attempt.
McAllen Station Border Patrol agents encountered a female migrant on Monday evening who ran toward them. The woman told the agents she had just escaped from an attacker, according to information obtained from Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol officials.
The woman, a Honduran national, had just illegally crossed the border with her husband and a young child, she told the agents. She said the smuggler separated her from her family and told them to hide in a different area. After moving away with the woman, the smuggler forced her to the ground and tore her shirt and pants, officials reported. She began to fight back and eventually escaped and fled to the agents. The agents contacted local law enforcement officials to launch an investigation into the alleged attack. The agents did not find the perpetrator of the assault.
U.S. Coast Guard riverine units patrolling the Rio Grande near Mission, Texas, on Sunday afternoon encountered a raft loaded with nine people, officials stated. The people in the partially deflated raft included a nine-month-old child.
The Coast Guardsmen observed the overloaded raft taking on water and that the migrants had no flotation devices or oars. The migrants called for help and the Coast Guard unit responded by pulling alongside.
The crewmen pulled the nine migrants, including the infant, into their vessel and transported them to the riverbank where Border Patrol agents conducted medical screenings and transported them to the station for processing.
One day earlier, another Coast Guard river patrol working near Penitas, Texas, came upon a group of 20 people attempting to cross the Rio Grande from Mexico. Once again, the raft began to take on water. The two human smugglers abandoned the migrants and swam back to Mexico as the guardsmen approached.
The Coast Guard crew found two more infants among the 20 migrants rescued from the raft. The crew turned the migrants over to McAllen Station Border Patrol agents for processing.
As the Independence Day weekend kicked off on Friday, Kingsville Station Border Patrol agents received an alert from a newly placed rescue beacon located on a ranch near the Javier Vega, Jr. Border Patrol checkpoint. The agents went to the location and found two lost, distressed migrants. The agents transported the two to the Kingsville Border Patrol Station for a medical screening and processing.
In addition to these rescues, agents assigned to the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint in Brooks County, Texas, found 70 more migrants locked inside a tractor-trailer.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team . He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook .
1400 Criminal Migrants Arrested in One Texas Border Sector this Year File Photo: U.S. Border Patrol/Ozzy Trevino 3:22
Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents arrested more than 1,400 criminal aliens during Fiscal Year 2021 as they attempted to re-enter South Texas from Mexico. Many of these had histories of violent and sexual crimes including acts against children.
Agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector arrested three criminal aliens last week after they illegally crossed the border into Texas, according to information obtained from Border Patrol officials. This adds to the more than 1,400 criminals arrested since the October 1, 2020, beginning of the fiscal year, Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings tweeted.
“These violent offenders have committed despicable acts within our country & have returned to the U.S., even after being previously removed!” Hastings tweeted.
McAllen Station Border Patrol agents apprehended a 28-year-old male after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico on June 30. During processing, the agents identified the man as a Honduran national and registered sex offender.
A court in Suffolk County, New York, convicted the man in 2012 for the rape of a child under the age of 15, officials reported. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers removed the man to Honduras in 2013 following his guilty plea.
Later that day, McAllen Station agents found a group of 21 migrants. During processing, the agents identified one of the men as a 42-year-old Mexican national. Court records from Polk County, Arkansas, show a conviction for in February 2019 4th degree sexual assault. ERO officers deported the man to Mexico in July 2018.
McAllen Station agents encountered a group of migrant families later that afternoon. While processing the group, the agents identified one of the men as a Honduran national and registered sex offender. Court records from Wisconsin show a conviction for 4th degree sexual assault in 2012. The court sentenced the criminal alien to 45 days in confinement and two years of probation. ERO officers deported the man in 2015.
All previously deported criminal aliens who re-enter the United States are subject to federal prosecution for felony illegal re-entry after removal. If convicted, the migrants could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team . He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook .
