[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.
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