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 Vol: 7 | Issue: 6 -
Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association
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Our Southern Boundary
In recent months, the Arizona border issue—and resulting legislation—has drawn national attention. Pundits from across the country have commented on the complex controversy. Patrick A. Bray, executive vice president of the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association offers a much more intimate perspective.
Nighttime near the US/Mexico border: The sharp bark from an old cattle dog breaks the silence.
A southern Arizona rancher’s eyes open wide. He recognizes the sound; it means that the uninvited lurks nearby.
The dog barks from one end of the property to the other, and anxiety lasts from late night into early morning
Finally, daybreak. And peace.
The rancher and the dog close their eyes after the long vigil.
But what exactly just happened?
Nocturnal Desert Life
Most likely this: After an Arizona sunset, the desert comes alive in many ways, but not always natural. Just to the south, in Mexico—and under the cover of darkness—drug cartels and human smugglers secure their loads and prepare to move into the United States. Individuals with mile-long criminal records violate the border and situate themselves in the hilltops of the Chiricahua Mountains, where they can observe the vast valleys below, a vantage point that enables them to warn their smuggling accomplices of potential interruptions to their unlawful activities.
Illegal aliens, in groupings ranging in size from two to more than a hundred, surreptitiously transgress the border. Drug cartels exploit these desperate individuals—the ones that have despaired of finding the means to make an honest living—as human mules to move drugs from Mexico and into the United States.
Therein lies the danger.
Inevitable Consequence
With their armed guards, cartels move people 20 to 40 miles deep into the United States, where collaborators drop their loads and head back to Mexico.
But that’s not all: On their return trip, which can take about four days, these modern-day bandits—essentially operating unhindered through a “no man’s land” that lacks law enforcement— cut a swath across vulnerable territory, burglarizing homes and disrupting ranch life, stealing anything of value.
Recently, they raised the bar when they murdered an Arizona rancher upon the sanctity of his land.
On March 27, 2010, the Arizona ranching community lost one of its most solid pillars – Robert Krentz, a husband, father and grandfather. A devastating tragedy, but fellow Southern Arizona ranchers could see it coming. For more than 10 years, they’ve pleaded for help. Even though we have begun to shine a light on the so-called “cockroaches” that infest our borderlands, the traffic from Mexico has not slowed down. Meanwhile, the southern Arizona community remains strong and, to its credit, refrained from any knee jerk reactions. These Americans remain committed to the land that they have stewarded for hundreds of years.
The Ultimate Price
At a March 31, 2010 community meeting, the following was read on behalf of the Krentz family:
“On [March 27], our husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle was murdered in cold blood by a suspected illegal alien on the ranch.
“This senseless act took the life of a man, a humanitarian, who bore no ill will towards anyone. Rob loved his family, instilling in them the importance of honesty, fair dealing and skill [while] managing all aspects of a large 100-year-old ranching operation, producing food to make our country strong and healthy. He was known for his concern and kindness, helping neighbors, friends and even trespassers on his ranch with compassionate assistance in their time of need.
“We hold no malice towards the Mexican people for this senseless act but do hold the political forces in this country and Mexico accountable for what has happened. Their disregard of our repeated pleas and warnings of impending violence towards our community fell on deaf ears shrouded in political correctness. As a result, we have paid the ultimate price for their negligence in credibly securing our borderlands.
“In honor of everything Rob stood for, we ask everyone to work peacefully towards bringing credible law and order to our border and provide Border Patrol and County Law Enforcement with sufficient financial resources and manpower to stop this invasion of our country.
“We urge the President of the United States to step forward and immediately order deployment of the active U.S. military to the [border].”
No Change
Today, the border remains the same as when Robert Krentz was murdered. The Administration continues to ignore pleas for assistance.
In response, the ranching community developed an 18-point plan, entitled “Restore Our Border” (ROB). Its development reflects the rising levels of fear and frustration building within the southern Arizona ranching community. But concern isn’t restricted to ranching families: Other area residents have experienced the mayhem and terror that violent and illegal actions generate.
The level of lawlessness reached such a point that a tight-knit group of southern Arizona individuals, determined to find solutions, began a fact-finding quest to identify necessary actions to be deployed along the border. These individuals have met with prosecutors, law enforcement officials, judicial officials, and agency personnel charged with securing our border. This plan was sent to President Obama and Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.
Result? We have yet to see any response.
A Reasonable Call-to-Arms
It is clear that the southern Arizona border region is lawless territory, where criminal forces control the US/Mexico border, operating with free reign and with no regard for human life. As such, it is long past time that our government takes action. Arizonans—and all Americans, for that matter—should be able to sleep at night in the safety of their own homes. Ranchers will not stand for another tragedy and will not rest until the border is secured.
We call for the politicians and government officials to take the necessary steps to enforce our laws and protect our fellow Americans. We need the National Guard positioned at the boundary while we work to properly fund other law enforcement agencies.
We must put the necessary manpower directly at the border to stem foreign invasion. It serves no one any good the have customs and border patrol operating 30 to 50 miles away from the boundary.
We must give law enforcement and the judicial system the ability to enforce immigration laws. Both entities are grossly under-funded, so we must provide the necessary tools to help them perform their jobs. U.S. law enforcement and border patrol are out-manned and out-gunned.
The federal government has failed to do its job, and Rob Krentz has paid the ultimate price. Eighty percent of American’s believe we need a more secure border, but Washington wants to talk about Comprehensive Immigration Reform. We maintain that before we talk about what to do with illegals (and their impact upon our workforce) we must stop the foreign invasion at our southern border. Southernmost Arizona communities cannot wait on Congress or on our current Administration to work on legislation. We need action now. The federal government must start doing its job to protect the lives of the citizens it was sworn to serve. We’ve done our part: The Arizona Ranch Families withstood the test of time and continues producing quality beef for American consumers.
We do not pretend to have all of the answers. However, we do believe the actions items contained in our ROB plan will enhance and provide security along the border. These items will begin to provide some semblance of lawfulness.
We only ask to be able to live and work in peace upon the land that we love, and through our love, nurture.
Patrick A. Bray, executive vice president of the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association asks that readers access the organization’s full 18-point “Restore Our Border” plan (available at www.azcattlemensassoc.org).
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