Ranchers say Border Patrol not protecting them

The U.S. Border Patrol does not go far enough to protect Southwestern ranchers from smugglers and others who cross the Mexican border illegally, the business owners said Wednesday during a conference of border sheriffs in Arizona. Several of the ranchers said they don’t bother calling agents anymore when they encounter illegal activity on their property. But the federal government said it has taken steps to boost safety. Peggy Davis and her family own a cattle ranch 25 miles north of the border. Their home has been burglarized repeatedly, and the family has received personal threats, she said. “We have a lot invested here. Emotion, money, time, heritage,” Davis said. “It’s our livelihood, it’s our ranch, it’s our heritage.” Jim Chilton, whose ranch is less than 6 miles from the border, said the agency’s strategy is not working. He said it takes too long for agents to respond to calls from ranchers and that the Border Patrol should focus its efforts on stopping migrants and smugglers at the border. Chilton said he installed three motion cameras that have caught 350 people walking through his ranch in the last two years...more