Rancher arms workers

Rancher Frank Yturria said Wednesday that he is arming his ranch hands as more armed smugglers are walking across his land amid a steady flow of undocumented immigrants crossing the U.S. border. Smugglers are cutting through fences, tearing down gates and breaking water lines, Yturria said, as they cross through the region’s expansive ranches to lead undocumented immigrants past the U.S. Border Patrol’s checkpoint in Sarita. “I’m going to have all my people armed,” Yturria said. “I can’t have armed people breaking into my property. I’m not putting up with this anymore.” This summer, Yturria said, more smugglers began breaking onto his ranch that stretches from northern Willacy County to Kenedy County amid the stream of undocumented immigrants that include tens of thousands of children from Central America continues. “It’s never been this bad,” Yturria said. “It’s ‘coyotes,’” he said, referring to the smugglers who lead the undocumented immigrants into the U.S. “It started this summer with all these children coming over.”...more