“”What is a drug gang going to do with a ranch on the American side of the border? They’d be sitting ducks whenever any local, state or federal law enforcement agency decided to move in on them.””
It doesn’t look like there’s a great deal of enthusiasm to do that, does it? On any level........
I don't think the state, county and local law enforcement officials would allow Mexican drug gangs to just set up on two or more occupied/stolen ranches and stay there on and on.
This is very different from a refusal to enforce the border generally, and a refusal to go after illegals in national parks and forests. Local citizens would demand that something be done about occupied ranches taken over from local citizens.