Texas Land Owners Express Concerns Over Border Security

Mexico's drug war was the topic of discussion during a visit to Beeville by State Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. The commissioner told farmers and ranchers that Texas doesn't have the manpower to protect its border with Mexico. A war is being waged on the other side of the border as drug cartels are killing anyone who gets in their way. Commissioner Staples said the smugglers aren't staying south of the border and they are crossing over by the thousands. Becoming a menace and danger to South Texas. "Drug cartels that are across the Texas border are chasing land owners off their property, they're intimidating ranchers and farmers," Staples said. Local rancher Tom Partlow said he just had a run in with drug smugglers on his property a couple of days ago. "We don't like it, we don't like trespassers, whether they're hunters or whatever," Partlow said. However, the man he found in his backyard wasn't a hunter, he was a drug runner. "This guy here was terrible looking, he almost look more animal than man. He was not a good person to have walking around your property," Partlow said. The biggest problem, Commissioner Staples said, is the lack of manpower the state of Texas has. In other border states, like California, Arizona and New Mexico, they have 14 Border Patrol agents per mile. In Texas, there are only six agents per mile...more