[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 106 (Thursday, June 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CRISIS AT THE BORDER

  (Ms. HERRELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, this week I received a letter and these 
photos, in fact, more photos than just this, from a constituent. The 
photos were taken on his ranch at 5 a.m. earlier this week from a game 
camera about 15 miles north of the border.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from Russell Johnson 
dated June 13, 2021, and I would like to read a few excerpts from the 
letter.
  ``When President Biden signed the proclamation ending border wall 
construction, we saw a dramatic increase in illegal foot traffic 
through our ranch.''

       I can no longer allow my children to play outside unless an 
     adult is with them to monitor the areas around them. People 
     who have dropped out of groups crossing have stopped at my 
     house wanting to use the phone, WiFi, and call their 
     smuggler. This is very concerning, as often my wife is at 
     home alone with our children, and I am hours away working on 
     the ranch. These people are desperate. And it is only a 
     matter of time before someone gets hurt.

  Now, Mr. Speaker, the border in New Mexico is not like the other 
borders in cities around El Paso or the ports of entry, here there is a 
huge difference.

                                                    June 13, 2021.
       Representative Herrell, My name is Russell Johnson. I am a 
     fourth-generation cattle rancher in southern Luna County. I 
     ranch along side my wife, two children, my father, and my 
     mother. Our ranch borders the international boundary with 
     Mexico for a little over 8 miles. My family has ranched on 
     this same piece of land since 1918. What we are experiencing 
     on the border today is not only a risk to my family, but our 
     state and this nation.
       When President Biden signed the proclamation ending border 
     wall construction, we saw a dramatic increase in illegal foot 
     traffic through our ranch. There now exists a gap in the wall 
     that separates the United States from Mexico on our ranch. It 
     is approximately 3/4-mile wide along with a border monument 
     access gate that was not installed leaving a gap about 12 
     feet wide. Not only did President Biden's proclamation end 
     the construction of the physical barrier, but it also stopped 
     all other infrastructure and technology that was to go with 
     it. Improved access roads for Border Patrol, lighting, sensor 
     technology and camera systems were all part of the project 
     that was abruptly ended. The situation at the border has 
     progressively worsened because of this decision. Talking with 
     local Border Patrol Agents, group size in our area has gone 
     from four to six people in a group, to now being upwards of 
     twenty. This is all crossing and passing through not only my 
     property, but our homes and business.
       I can no longer allow my children to play outside unless an 
     adult is with them to monitor the areas around them. People 
     who have dropped out of groups crossing have stopped at my 
     house wanting to use the phone or have access to my Wi-Fi to 
     call their smuggler. This is very concerning as often my wife 
     is at home alone with our children and I am hours away 
     working on the ranch. These people are desperate. It's only a 
     matter of time before our home is broken into.
       The increase in traffic is also affecting our business. 
     Much of southern New Mexico is suffering a D4 drought. We are 
     having to supplement our cattle to get to the monsoon season. 
     This hardship is being compounded by the people crossing the 
     border illegally. Currently, we have decent natural grasses 
     in the pasture bordering Mexico. Our cattle are not utilizing 
     this rangeland properly because they are constantly getting 
     spooked by the people crossing. This is pushing them into 
     drier areas with not enough suitable feed for them to 
     consume. The cattle are also susceptible to contracting 
     stress induced illnesses like Pasteurella Pneumonia from 
     constantly being run off. We have experienced this before 
     under similar border conditions. If not treated quickly, 
     cattle can die within 48 hours. We are experiencing this not 
     only on parts of the ranch that border Mexico, but further 
     north as well.
       Our day-to-day operations have been negatively impacted. We 
     now try to work in pairs at a minimum. With no cellphone 
     service in our area, it is safer to work with someone with 
     you, so you have somebody to watch your back. This slows our 
     work progress down and increases the length of time it takes 
     to get tasks down.
       On June 4, 2021, my father and I encountered four groups of 
     illegal immigrants on our ranch totaling well over 30 
     individuals. Border Patrol was able to apprehend all four 
     groups, but they told me something that I found very 
     troubling. They said that there were only eight agents in the 
     field that evening. Deming Border Patrol Station is 
     responsible for the area we live in. The station's area of 
     responsibility includes well over 60 miles of border. Eight 
     agents were expected to cover all of that during their shift. 
     This does not make for a very secure border. Encountering 
     groups crossing and a lack of manpower in the field is 
     becoming the norm. The Patrol Agent in Charge at the Deming 
     Border Patrol Station told us that they are averaging 650 
     apprehensions a week. These are apprehensions, they do not 
     include the people that are successfully making their illegal 
     entry.
       It is important to note that we do not have unaccompanied 
     minors or family groups crossing through our area. They are 
     all young, adult males in good physical shape. All the people 
     I have encountered are wearing full camouflage, to include 
     face coverings and carpet or sponge booties on their feet. 
     These people are not turning themselves in, they do not want 
     to be caught.
       Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have 
     experienced issues regarding the border. What differs this 
     time from others is that our government is not trying to do 
     anything to resolve the issue. I feel like as a citizen of 
     this country, I do not matter in the eyes of our government. 
     The State of Texas has declared a state of emergency in many 
     if not all its counties that border Mexico. Texas is doing 
     this because the Federal Government is not addressing the 
     issue. Enough pressure will be put on the Texas border that 
     New Mexico will see an even larger increase in illegal 
     traffic as it will be pushed west. This bothers me greatly.
       I am writing you today to make you aware of the situation 
     on the border in our area and to ask for help. Border Patrol 
     manpower is strained, and our local law enforcement is 
     stretched thin. Ideally, the border wall and all 
     infrastructure and technology need completed. In the 
     meantime, we desperately need more boots on the ground to 
     help with this surge in illegal traffic. We also need better 
     cellphone coverage in these remote areas. Not being able to 
     call for law enforcement or emergency service is a huge 
     safety concern. Last, but certainly not least, we need help 
     getting this administration to address the border crisis. 
     Thank you for your attention to these matters.
           Respectfully,
     Russell Johnson.

                          ____________________