By Jennifer Whitlock
Field Editor
As a crowd of more than 10,000 migrants overwhelms officials and residents in Del Rio, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) urges U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to act swiftly to help farmers and ranchers affected by the border crisis.
In a letter to Vilsack, AFBF President Zippy Duvall wrote farmers and ranchers in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are experiencing safety concerns and marked increases in property theft amid a great influx of undocumented immigrants.
Damages to fields, fences, water storage, farm equipment, homes and vehicles are common occurrences at farms, ranches and rural residences along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Law enforcement or border patrol personnel must often engage in high-speed car chases of illegal migrants. To get away from authorities, sometimes migrants will drive through farms and ranches, damaging fences and fields and endangering livestock,” Duvall wrote. “Similar disturbances occur by those who cross by foot with reports of cut fences and broken watering troughs. When these instances occur, farmers must quickly make repairs, bearing the cost in the process.”
To aid those farmers and ranchers, he suggested the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) consider using funding to provide cost assistance to repair damaged or compromised property due to immigrant crossings and patrol evasions.
Although USDA does not have regulatory authority to enforce migration laws or provide other solutions to the border crisis, the agency does have the ability and obligation to advocate for farmers, ranchers and rural communities affected by the issue, Duvall noted.
“USDA can provide a voice to these rural communities negatively impacted by the drastic surge of migration in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and urge those agencies with jurisdiction to put forward solutions to secure our border,” he said. “Furthermore, USDA should develop programs to offset the costs of damages to farms and ranches attributed to illegal immigration.”
Duvall added AFBF is ready to assist USDA in confirming the details of any proposed cost-assistance program would meet the needs of farmers and ranchers.
Click here to view the letter.
View testimonials from farmers and ranchers who live and work along the border on the Texas Farm Bureau Border Crisis Impacts webpage.