Posted on 08/20/2015 8:26:29 AM PDT by HiJinx
NACO — Dr. Ben Carson, a Republican candidate for the party’s nomination for president, had his eyes opened to the challenges of securing the U.S./Mexico border on Wednesday and said solving the problem is a matter of national security worthy of military involvement.
“I think this is a solvable problem, but we lack the will to do something about it in Washington,” Carson said during a two-hour trip through the county, including a visit to a fenced area near the Naco Port of Entry.
Getting out at a basin near the Green Brush Draw on John Ladd’s ranch, Dr. Carson examined an open border gate, “fenced” by three strings of cattle-resistant barbwire.
“If we’re going to be serious about it, we’re going to have to have people here on the border,” Ladd said.
Dr. Carson chastised federal bureaucrats for failing to adopt a deployment strategy aimed at securing the border “at the border,” instead of 75 miles away in Tucson.
Prior to inspecting the fence, Dr. Carson stopped first at a meeting attended by ranch families, House Speaker David Gowan, Senate President Pro-Tem Gail Griffin, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Cochise County Supervisor Ann English, Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre and other dignitaries. The gathering was organized by Sheriff Mark Dannels.
At that meeting the candidate for president, who was among the top 10 at the Aug. 6 Republican primary debate, heard of the hardship ranch families are dealing with because of a porous border. Security is one reason, Dr. Carson was told, that 14 ranch families have sold their homesteads in the past four years.
Sen. Griffin handed Dr. Carson a map of the region that distinguished property owned by the federal government and land that is privately owned.
“Cochise County has more than most counties in Arizona and here it’s only about 30 percent privately owned,” Griffin said.
Speaker Gowan said the federal government is usually suing Arizona, every time the state tries to get a handle on problems caused by illegal immigration. He urged Dr. Carson to give states their sovereignty and reduce federal authority.
“I’m glad you’re here to listen to what these families are going to say and understand what’s happening at the border,” Gowan said.
Family of the late Robert Krentz, who was shot to death March 27, 2010 at his ranch north of Douglas, related their frustrations with the federal government’s failure to secure the international border.
“This is important to me so that something doesn’t happen to someone else, like what happened to my brother,” said Phil Krentz.
Ranch veterinarian Gary Thrasher focused criticism on the administration of U.S. Border Protection, outlining the agency’s deployment strategy to protect areas in the Tucson area and leave the rural areas to fend for themselves.
“Most of the agents who are on the ground are committed to doing a good job and they work hard at it, but they are following a plan that doesn’t make sense,” Thrasher said.
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said ranchers in the room “... had been lied to,” by Washington officials and politicians who are unwilling to address the border security problem.
Dr. Carson cited the Constitution in assessing the failure of the federal government to secure the border. He noted one of the purposes of the founding document was to “provide for the common defense.”
“I see this as a matter of national security,” Dr. Carson said.
After the meeting he boarded his campaign bus and traveled to the Turquoise Valley golf course, where he transferred to Sheriff Dannels’ patrol vehicle and drove to an area near Gate No. 8 along the gravel road that parallels the border fence.
Walking with the sheriff, Dr. Carson said his impression of the border fence is that “... it isn’t much of an impediment. I expected something more.”
“It’s going to take the will to solve this problem and a combination of efforts. No one thing in and of itself is going to stop people from trying to get in,” Dr. Carson said.
He said as a matter of national security he would support the involvement of the military in security the border.
“What we have is a good start, but it’s not adequate.”
Walking with the sheriff, Dr. Carson said his impression of the border fence is that “... it isn’t much of an impediment. I expected something more.”
Does anyone have a map which shows which area’s of the southern border have fence and what type? I have been to the border in S. Arizona in several places where it appears to be only a single strand of barb wire.
The last time I was driving along the border, the BP were out and monitoring the countryside. This was along the narrow strip of U.S. land between the Huachuca Mts. and the border.
We also have checkpoints on all of the paved roads that lead from the border to I-10. It's very hard to drive out with a vehicle full of illegals.
And finally, we have UAVs monitoring the unpaved roads that lead to I-10.
All of this to say that it's a bit disingenous to say that the deployment strategy is aimed at Tucson.
I haven’t seen such a map, but I’m sure one exists somewhere. The fence is a mix of 20’ high vertical palisade-type barriers, Normandy-style vehicle barriers, hip-to-chest high horizontal RR rails, down to your single-strand barbed wire fence. In some places we have informal border crossing sites with no barrier. Such is the case on the Tohono O’Oodham reservation south and west of Tucson in Pima County.
It’s been a while since I was there but East of Douglas, it’s just cow pasture fencing along a patrol road. And like that all the way to El Paso...
You are NOT talking about the area where Dr. Carson was and if you are as familiar with that area as you act like you would know that. Freepers who read this post must discount this post.
It is true what Dr. Carson and his sources say about that area and about Tucson.
The road that Dr. Carson was on is very close o the border fence at times. A Mexican railroad parallels the Arizona, road curving north at one point to almost touch the border fence. The train slows way down on the curve and people jump out and hide low until the BP trucks move out of sight and then the people run across the border and meet up with vans which take them up and out across the country.
That scenario is played out all across the Arizona border along with the walkers. I know people down there who see the rape trees and find Korans and Arabic papers.
America is being invaded.!!!!!!
The fencing keeps moving East as we shift the traffic in that direction. It started in San Diego nearly a decade ago.
I haven’t been to the Slaughter Ranch lately, nor the wildlife refuge out there (San Bernardino?); but I believe the border fencing has improved since you were there.
I live in Sierra Vista, AZ; and have since 1988. I walk the talk, my FRiend.
That road is not south of the Huachucas and Sierra Vista is worlds west of the dirt border road. My history on that dirt road is way longer that your city residence.
“I see this as a matter of national security,” Dr. Carson said.
You’re right, Dr. Carson was not on the road I was talking about - but I saw BP officers with binoculars watching the border. That’s the point I was making.
Thanks for the polite concession. I know that part of the country very well.
The rural areas of Cochise County East and Northeast of Douglas are not well patrolled by Border Patrol. Rob Krentz was murdered in the area between the Chiricahua Mountains and the New Mexico line and that is the area they were referring to. I doubt they know that the areas around Sierra Vista are patrolled as well as you saw.
I was within 5 miles of where Rob Krentz was murdered about 2 weeks before it happened, did not see a Border Patrol at all in the nearly 30 miles I traveled after crossing into Arizona from New Mexico. I was back to the same location about 2 weeks after Rob Krentz was murdered and Border Patrol were all over the state highway but as soon as we left the highway there were no more Border Patrol. None were within 10 miles of where he was actually murdered. That is the frustration of the ranchers in that area. Border Patrol has a horse patrol camp in that area, but is not permanent. When they did build a permanent Border Patrol operation facility “in that area” it was built 15-20 miles from where Rob Krentz was murdered.
There is an immense amount of frustration when the government chooses not to deal with the real hot spots, which is what happens all along the border. Where I live in NM is not considered a major hot spot normally and we have quite a lot of Border Patrol activity in this area. The puzzling thing is it seems the more presence an area needs, the less it has.
That has to be frustrating. And I suspect that it isn't just a coincidence.
Did I ever tell you about my conversation with Larry Dever not too long after Rob Krentz' murder? The Lordsburg sector BP station had his prime suspect in custody for three days and didn't act on the BOLO out of Cochise County.
I had heard a suspect had been detained and it was not realized until later. I did not know where or that they didn’t act on the BOLO. I was told they “knew” who was involved, but had no evidence. If they had managed to hold him possibly an interrogation or coordination with actual investigators would have put together the evidence they needed.
That’s what Sheriff Dever said, and what had him so frustrated. I miss him...
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