Nightmare on the Border: Locals Left to Fend for Themselves as Migrant Surge Overruns Ranches, Towns
Trash left behind by migrants passing through a ranch in Maverick County, Texas.(Courtesy photo)
By CARINE HAJJAR
April 20, 2022 6:30 AM
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‘I had more dead people out here than I've ever had,’ one rancher said.
When I pulled up to Harris Ranch, I was startled by the barking of three large Blue Lacys, the state dog of Texas. They ran up to my car as it was moving, only backing off when called by their owner.
John Sewell, owner of the ranch near Uvalde, Texas, said his Lacys help ward off some would-be thieves. But the dogs can only do so much. He and Jim Volcsko — a friend and former Customs and Border Protection officer who now works at the ranch — are in a daily battle to keep up with the damage caused by the flow of migrants trekking up from the border 50 miles away.
Trash, stolen property, cut fences, trampled fences (a big problem on a livestock and hunting ranch), and, most frustrating of all, broken water lines are just some of the problems they face. “Water is the life of south Texas,” Sewell said. “They’re turning our water off and breaking our water [lines].” To stay on top of the damage, he told me, is “a full-time job.”
https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/04/nightmare-on-the-border-locals-left-to-fend-for-themselves-as-migrant-surge-overruns-ranches-towns/
