Ranchers near border feel unsafe, ignored by politicians

In Hidalgo County, the bootheel of New Mexico, ranchers feel they've been ignored. Many said they're afraid and want a wall, but the people in charge of county security don't think that's the answer. "My brother-in-law, my father and I, we all raise alfalfa and feed crops for cattle and horses," said Kris Massey, whose family has owned land near the border since 1945. "You can call it a crisis, you can say there's not a crisis, but there is an issue here that's happening, and we're seeing more and more of it." What Massey is talking about is the immigration situation at the southern border. On top of the large groups of migrants seeking asylum, he's now seeing a different type of person crossing into the United States. "We've always has illegals coming through this valley, but they used to stop in and say, 'Hey can I have some food?" Massey said. "But now it's like, 'You will give me a ride in your truck to Lordsburg,' or, 'You will give me your cellphone. I want it, give it to me.'" Massey said immigrants have broken into his barn, his trucks, and even his house. Other ranchers have similar stories. "We've had trackers stolen, and my grandparents ended up finding it," said rancher Cammi Moore. "We found some bedding in our hay barn, where they bed for the night, so they are coming in, they are hiding out in our barns." Moore said immigrants have left drugs and trash on her property. In Hidalgo County, the county shares about 86 miles of border with Mexico. Seventeen miles of that border is of Normandy fencing; the other 69 is only protected by barbed wire. "The ones that are showing up in their yard are not the asylum seekers. These are most likely the criminals," said Hidalgo County Manager Tisha Green. While ranchers and farmers in Hidalgo County believe a wall will help alleviate the problems, the county sees it differently. "We need some type of protection. We need to get a plan in place, immigration reform, we need more law enforcement, we need resources," Green said. "The county has never taken the position of 'Oh we need the wall.'"...MORE 

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