Several ranch owners whose property sits along the country’s southern border with Mexico are alleging that they are being harassed by drug cartels who are crossing the border.
The report comes from NewsNation, which spoke with ranchers who now say they are fearful for their lives and their property, which they have owned for decades.
“It’s sickening because we have put in so much to this place — blood, sweat, and tears — for it to be destroyed by some criminal organization and drug cartel, is heartbreaking,” rancher Debbie Douglas told NewsNation.
The report comes on the heels of several Americans being abducted or reported missing in Mexico, including four who were traveling into the country for medical tourism reasons before they were abducted at the beginning of this month and three who have been missing since last month.
Of the four Americans who were kidnapped, two were killed, and two returned to the United States after the Gulf Cartel admitted to wrongfully abducting them. The cartel even turned in five of its members, who it said were responsible to local authorities in Mexico.
The three American women who went missing entered the country on Feb. 24 and were headed to a flea market, but they have not been heard from in weeks.
Surveillance video from Douglas backed up her claim that undocumented individuals were attempting to break into her home, as she says they have made attempts six different times.
Douglas says that to protect her property, she has had to spend upwards of $13,000 on her security system.
“This whole area is their playground. They basically own it,” Douglas told NewsNation. “It’s sad. I’m not going to fear them. I’m not. I’m not going to let them run me out of here.”
While she is worried one day about having to use force to protect herself and her family, Douglas says she will do what is necessary.
“If they do come up or toward me, I will shoot,” she said. “I don’t want to. I don’t want to kill anybody. But if they come towards me… if it’s me or them… I’m shooting.”
The issue has garnered the attention of state officials, as the Texas Department of Public Safety is set to meet with landowners on Thursday to discuss the state’s Operation Lone Star Criminal Trespass Initiative, which is meant to stop heightened criminal activity on the border.
The department shared that the operation allows officials to “use available resources to enforce all applicable federal and state laws to prevent the criminal activity along the border, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking, and to assist Texas counties in their efforts to address those criminal activities.”
With no end to the criminal activity insight, landowners like Douglas continue to take safety precautions to keep themselves and their families safe.
“All you can do is stand your ground; that’s all you can do,” she said. “You’ve got to fight for what you believe in.”
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