WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ranchers from Arizona called Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) a "liar" after they found out she said on Wednesday that the reporting about the U.S.-Mexico border is "biased and unfair" because the border is actually "sovereign and secure."
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee says that the southern border is actually “sovereign and secure,” claiming that it is “subjected to biased and unfair narratives for political purposes.” pic.twitter.com/QSVLccryFj
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 29, 2021
Speaking with Townhall at the Federation for American Immigration Reform's 14th annual "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" event, the ranchers said the increase in illegal crossings through their properties are at their highest levels in years.
"She's a liar. Pure and simple, she knows better," said Peggy Davis, who lives just north of the southern border in Cochise County, noting she had testified before Congress in 2016 to talk about border issues with Lee in attendance.
"[She] heard all of us talked about it. She knows full well...she's just lying about it."
"This is the worst it's been in my lifetime," John Ladd, a lifelong border rancher, said. The family's ranch has land that goes right up to Mexico. He and his wife, Jobeth, noticed an immediate increase in illegal immigrants trespassing through their property after Joe Biden became president on January 20.
"Completely outrageous. She's absolutely lying. If she truly believes that then she has no clue what she's talking about," Jobeth reacted to Lee's remarks. "It's not secure."
"It's a flat-out lie," John chimed in.
John explained he got a call right before the interview about Border Patrol apprehending a second group of illegal immigrants on his land that day. Border Patrol is apprehending around 50 people a day just on his property this year, where under former President Donald Trump it was around 20 people a month. John estimated Border Patrol is only catching around 1 in 3 people who illegally enter his area.
"The fact is, it's been around the clock since Biden has been in office."
Jobeth also revealed because either a human smuggler or a group of illegal immigrants recently cut through the ranch's fencing, one of their cows got loose and was killed after a driver hit it on the highway.
It's not just people the ranchers are concerned about, it's also the narcotics smuggling that often accompanies the human smuggling. Unlike the foot traffic typically seen in Del Rio or the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, most of the people who are trespassing through their lands in Arizona are trying to avoid being caught by Border Patrol.
Wellton Agents seized 35 lb of meth and arrested three migrants Saturday morning. The migrants were hiding in a wash just south of I-8 and MM53. The meth was in a large backpack next to one of the migrants in the group. pic.twitter.com/JaDtJRcke1
— Chief Patrol Agent Chris T. Clem (@USBPChiefYUM) September 27, 2021
#YumaSector agents encountered more than 1,000 migrants who illegally crossed the border into the U.S. from Mex on Thursday, a new fiscal year record for daily apprehensions. The total includes migrants from 21 different countries. #BorderSecurity is #NationalSecurity pic.twitter.com/Ax2mpUkDbL
— Chief Patrol Agent Chris T. Clem (@USBPChiefYUM) September 23, 2021
For the month of August, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered 208,887 people attempting to illegally enter the United States along the southern border, marking another month where encounters were above 200,000. That number does not include the illegal aliens who have been able to avoid apprehension by Border Patrol, which estimates put those numbers at their highest levels in recent years.