
That was the message delivered repeatedly Thursday night in
Animas by a series of speakers at a community meeting organized by the cattle growers associations of New Mexico and Arizona.
Over 500 ranchers, government officials and others crowded into the Animas school auditorium to call attention to federal budget cuts and policy decisions that have undermined security on the border.
One of the speakers was Sue Krentz, whose husband Rob was found shot dead on his Cochise County, Arizona, ranch property six years ago after sending a radio transmission to his brother that he saw an immigrant in need of help.
Her message was that the border needs to be secured, and illegal immigration stopped, because all criminal activity threatens our country.
Rancher Lawrence Hurt said it is imperative to residents’ safety that Border Patrol agents are on the border – not 15 or 20 minutes away trying to catch illegal crossers after they are already in the U.S.
And Tricia Elbrock, who had an employee of her water and drilling business kidnapped and carjacked at gunpoint December 7th while working on the Gray Ranch, said people need to understand that there are serious safety problems along the border.
She said they need agents patrolling on horseback and in helicopters – not relying only on sensors – if there is a chance of stopping the drug and human smuggling so pervasive in the area.
Among the attendees was Congressman Steve Pearce, who said some people in Washington seem to feel there is a moral conflict with securing the border and he was embarrassed by a government that wasn’t protecting its people.