Arizona rancher faces border issues alone - video

An Arizona rancher says he is the one dealing with the border issues that the federal government won't handle. Rancher Jim Chilton spends his days on horseback, tending to his cattle on his 50,000-acre ranch that stretches to the border of Mexico, and he says he’s not the only one navigating the rough terrain. “You can assume that all these mountains have cartel scouts on them,” said Chilton, pointing to the peaks around him. Chilton estimates 20,000 to 30,000 illegal immigrants cross through his ranch every year, and he says he fears for his life, suspecting a criminal from south of the border murdered his friend and fellow rancher, Rob Krentz. “We’re getting really concerned now, because the tables have turned,” said Chilton. “Used to be, it was the coyotes bringing people through. Now, the drug cartels have taken over the people moving business.” His ranch is marked by a visible path beaten by the migrants who cross through the land, and the garbage they leave behind. “I’ve just learned how to ride in garbage, that's all,” said Chilton. But litter is the least of the rancher’s worries. He says he’s always heavily armed because he has no idea who is coming over the mountains on his horizon...more

Here is the ABC video report: