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Any of you guys own ranches on the border?

31,173 Views | 196 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by WildAg08
TOM-M
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Hiccup...
proc
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AG
I cannot recall which county, but one adjacent to the RGV border counties had about 10x the number of deaths compared to any other county. I will have to research that post.
aggiepublius
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AG
Empty_Stringer said:

I've got a random question regarding the Cartels. It seems that a pretty big piece of this puzzle is the way the cartels have corrupted the Mexican government. If we legalized some of the drugs they are selling would that do anything to curtail their power?

Im not a drug user, nor am i particularly fond of folks using that stuff; it just seems that we need a radical solutiin and that might be part of it.
As pointed out, it would likely move the cartels into other lines of business.

This is what has already happened with the legalization of marijuana already forcing them into new ventures, mainly heroin and synthetic opioids.

Highly recommend reading this piece by Don Winslow on the subject.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a46918/heroin-mexico-el-chapo-cartels-don-winslow/
Quote:

If you wonder why America is in the grips of a heroin epidemic that kills two hundred people a week, take a hard look at the legalization of pot, which destroyed the profits of the Mexican cartels. How did they respond to a major loss in revenue? Like any company, they created an irresistible new product and flooded the market. The scariest part: this might not have happened with El Chapo in charge.


taquache02
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AG
I hunt about 12 miles N of Raymondville. We have groups passing through quite often. They use the red lights on the tall communications antennas to keep them headed north.





This group must have purchased the budget package because they have already walked at least 6 miles and have a LONG way to go before they even reach the Sarita checkpoint.

My game camera indicated that the high temp that next day was in the low 100's.
SPI-FlatsCatter 84
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AG
Id vote Eagle Pass. Very underrated berg
RGV AG
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AG
Quote:

Border cities get a bad rap as violent, but the Rio Grande Valley is extremely safe. Of the 24 Texas metro areas ranked by the FBI, Brownsville comes in dead last, with 240 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 people. Nearby McAllen comes in at #18, with 286 per 100,000.

Things are closer to the middle of the pack in El Paso and Laredo, which place at #13 and #10, respectively. The murder rate in each city is low, at 1.4 and 1.5 (Brownsville also comes in at 1.4, which is the second-lowest behind Abilene at 0.6). The numbers in El Paso, Laredo, and McAllen are all slanted heavily toward aggravated assault. In Brownsville, meanwhile, though the overall numbers for everything are very low, robbery crimes make up a surprisingly high number of cases, at 58.1 per 100,000, good for almost 25% of the violent crime in the city.


From a 2015 article in Texas Monthly. The border areas are some of the safest in Texas in terms of violent crime. Shoplifting, credit card fraud, scams, and car theft I think are bad in the border areas.

Del Rio is a pretty cool town in my opinion. It is very old fashioned and low key. Border "places" but not so much border cities, like Rancho Viejo, Laguna Vista, La Feria, are really nice places as well. My home base for years was Port Isabel and the first 5-6 years I lived there I never had a key for my front door. Never locked it. I have never been crazy about Laredo, but that is just me. El Paso is really a nice town, I just don't like the dry heat and the scenery. Everything is brown there; the mountains, the people, the buildings, even Juarez is brown.

As SPI says Eagle Pass is an interesting place as well. Interesting community. But I tell you what, never in my life have I ever seen drive through fast food places with less competency than Eagle Pass. I used to go through there twice a week for like just under a year.
DrSocrates
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https://www.facebook.com/thewallusatodaynetwork/videos/118809235459414/UzpfSTEwMDAwMDM3OTM4NDU2NToxODcwOTMyNzQ2MjYyNjg3/
Deerdude
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I'd have to say Zapata. It doesn't have direct bridge traffic and is buffered some by the lake. Still it's on the 83 corridor.
Saltwater Assassin
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AG
aggiepublius said:

Empty_Stringer said:

I've got a random question regarding the Cartels. It seems that a pretty big piece of this puzzle is the way the cartels have corrupted the Mexican government. If we legalized some of the drugs they are selling would that do anything to curtail their power?

Im not a drug user, nor am i particularly fond of folks using that stuff; it just seems that we need a radical solutiin and that might be part of it.
As pointed out, it would likely move the cartels into other lines of business.

This is what has already happened with the legalization of marijuana already forcing them into new ventures, mainly heroin and synthetic opioids.

Highly recommend reading this piece by Don Winslow on the subject.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a46918/heroin-mexico-el-chapo-cartels-don-winslow/
Quote:

If you wonder why America is in the grips of a heroin epidemic that kills two hundred people a week, take a hard look at the legalization of pot, which destroyed the profits of the Mexican cartels. How did they respond to a major loss in revenue? Like any company, they created an irresistible new product and flooded the market. The scariest part: this might not have happened with El Chapo in charge.





Thanks for the article!

I just ordered "the Cartel" after reading that
Do right and bear the consequences. -Sam Houston
Dr. Faustus
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AG
That's indentured servitude my man. I'm all for a good solution to the illegal immigration problem, but I don't think that's it.
Cholula Verde
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AG
As mentioned earlier, another good read with some surprising ties: Bones: Brothers, Cartels, Horses, and the Borderland Dream by Joe Tone. Yes, the cartels have unbelievable reach into our society, both north and south of the border!
TXTebone
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AG
I am a retired absentee ranch owner and my ranch is about 30 miles north of the Rio and west of Del Rio.
I have owned this ranch for 22years and enjoy the good times and fellowship this place rewards me, my family and close friends.
We have seen numerous illegals walking through ranch at various times but have had very few actual problems with property damage until 5 years ago. I have a large metal building in which I have a masonry bunkhouse in one corner and a large inside storage for vehicles, maintenance equipment, etc. I received a call from my neighbor who checks my water system and headquarters every two weeks to inform me we had a break in of the barn. He found the door open to the bunkhouse and entry was made to the warehouse. My neighbor closed the damaged door and secured the balance of the building then called me. I immediately called my retired buddy and we made plans to leave the following day for the ranch.
On arrival at ranch we found the door to the bunkhouse to be damaged beyond further use. I had to call some of my workers in Houston to obtain another door as well as build a jail type security door on the outside. They drove up the next weekend and we installed the doors. Inside the barn I have a 1 ton truck and a jeep wrangler. The intruders tried to start both vehicles but I always disconnect the batteries as well as the starter. They damaged the ignitions so bad on both vehicles that I was unable to use the vehicles and had to obtain new ignitions and install on a later trip. Had they been able to start these vehicles I am sure all of my maintenance equipment and tools would have been loaded and hauled away. My headquarters is 4 miles from the highway through 2 locked gates. All gates were locked according to my neighbor so I know these were illegals.
Last year I was working on my roads for six weeks and carried the whole time. I had another operator that
drove to ranch each day and he did the same. You never know who you will stumble on in this remote country and you have to be able to protect yourself.
Prior to purchasing this ranch we leased property for 5 years between Bracketville and Del Rio and had our trailer broken into numerous times. One time they started a fire on the floor and ate dog food from cans they found in the cabinets. This was the main reason I started looking for property further west.

Any one on the border faces similar potential problems every day. I am for a border wall as Israel seems to have perfected it to eliminate most of their serious problems and I feel we can do the same.

Fire away guys!
TXTebone
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AG
Most of my previous workers were Hispanic and I love those guys as my own. One family lost their Dad and Mother in a auto accident on a trip to Mexico about a month ago. The Dad and the three sons go to my ranch hunting every year. The three sons went to Mexico to formalize the return of their Dad and Mother only to find out all of their belongings including jewelry, wedding rings, tools etc. had been stolen. A really sad trip for them and me as well. By the way, the Dad had gone through the legal process many years ago for his entire family. The church for their funeral was overflowing. I will miss the Dad as we were very close.
WhoopN06
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It's an awesome book.
Saltwater Assassin
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AG
FlyingMudball said:

As mentioned earlier, another good read with some surprising ties: Bones: Brothers, Cartels, Horses, and the Borderland Dream by Joe Tone. Yes, the cartels have unbelievable reach into our society, both north and south of the border!


Thanks! Looks like my reading list is properly stoked up for a little while!
Do right and bear the consequences. -Sam Houston
WhoopN06
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You should also read "The Power of the Dog" by Winslow. I believe chronologically it comes before The Cartel.
WhoopN06
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https://www.texastribune.org/2018/06/30/texas-rio-grande-valley-ranchers-border-immigration/

Articles like this are why there is not a broad consensus to fix our border issues.
Cowboy1990
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WhoopN06 said:

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/06/30/texas-rio-grande-valley-ranchers-border-immigration/

Articles like this are why there is not a broad consensus to fix our border issues.


A couple of observations from that article:

1. All of the people interviewed were from a much older demographic. Are they really in tune with what is currently going on?
2.They all admit to having regularly seen illegal immigrants cross through their property for basically their entire life. It's all they've ever knwon, so stands to reason they don't see it as an issue because they've grown accustomed to it or numb to it.

With all of the personal accounts I've read on this thread I'm much more likely to believe all of you over media that appears to be a voice against the POTUS as most media is these days.
WhoopN06
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I agree with everything you said. What i was getting at is in other parts of the country they do not "know" people from border areas or have access to unfiltered information. They get their information from articles and news stories like this.

That's what is frustrating. I've actually shared this thread with a lot of friends and acquaintances from other parts of the country. They tend to be a little incredulous after first reading it. My feeling is they give _more_ weight to articles like this than to first hand accounts.
OldCamp
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It infuriates me to read about this stuff happening in our state..in our country.
That someone at their home in the US would feel un-safe from intruders of another country is shameful.
We should do whatever it takes to protect our country and our countrymen
LEJ
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I hear as much Spanish as I do English in my line of work. They think I don't savvy but I catch enough to know that they (Mexican illegals) think we're stupid... Not just our govt, but us. They reek of entitlement bc we put up no fight. We give them what they want (jobs and freebies). It will never be enough.
WildAg08
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AG
I'm ON the the border. On occasion you might find me IN the Rio Grande River adjusting irrigation equipment. Lived here all my life and never had a border specific issue.

Do people come across? Yes. Damages? None to speak of since this is farm land. A little further North in the brush fence maintenance can be a chore. Anything other than regular barbed wire is likely to be cut or otherwise damaged.

The only times I've felt worried is when there is a pursuit and the smugglers are flying around in a panic.

My family has been in this area since 1912 and I can tell you it's an extremely busy corridor but we've never had a border specific issue.

Off roaders going over irrigation pipe and kids joyriding/vandalizing equipment are 10x the problem.

The ranch area further removed from the border is a different story. The smugglers lie and tell groups they're a few miles outside of Houston or San Antonio when in reality they're not even out of Hidalgo or Starr County.

Crossers are terribly unprepared and then they can start getting destructive and panic aggressive. I've seen groups literally walk in circles after being abandoned by their guide. Brutal.
 
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