Trip To The Mexican Border
October 7, 2010
By Judy DeVries | A few weeks ago, three candidates and a handful of fortunate civilians were privileged to get a tour of the border courtesy of Tim Donnelly’s campaign and the Minutemen! The excursion lay to rest the idea that the men and women dedicated to protecting our nation are kooks or fanatics. Rather, they are mostly ex-military and law enforcement who are interested in securing our country from the threat of drugs, weapons and human trafficking. Far from sitting in lawn chairs, rifles draped over their laps, these men actually have a working relationship with both the Border Patrol and the National Guard and help monitor hotspots with their blessing.
We began our tour at Camp Vigilance, headquarters for the Minutemen. This site is not only base camp for the many volunteers who give up their time and money to safeguard you and me, it is also a campground shaded with sycamore trees complete with hookups and an old adobe redone into a giant kitchen. From here, the Minutemen take shifts patrolling the most vulnerable areas along our southern boundary. We (Mike and Jeane Rossiter, Dave and Marji Mayo, Earl and Judy DeVries, Scott Folkens and Greg Young) had the opportunity to drive and walk along many sections of the “fence” (and I use the term loosely). The barrier between the US and the drug cartels is at times 30 foot steel posts set so close together that even though the kangaroo rat can easily squeeze through, humans cannot. At other sections, the “fence” is made of steel plates that have often been tunneled under and repaired with rebar. At still other places, the “fence” is nothing more than strands of barbed wire strung on branches for posts. And at far too many places, there is no “fence” at all, only brush, rocks, and dust. In that dust we were shown some of the trails used to cross the desert and signs of drug smuggling paraphernalia.
The border patrol has strategically placed its vehicles on the high places with the best visibility. They can easily see one another on the next peak, but they can’t always see the valleys. There is just no way they can keep an eye on every mile of the border. In fact, we visited a ranch where one farmer knows that firsthand. After being threatened by drug dealers crossing his land, he erected his own five mile fence surrounding his property. As time went on, the fence got taller and eventually was topped with razor wire. Even so, someone tried to go over his fence and left a jacket caught in the barbs!
Our final stop was atop another peak, this one patrolled by one of the original Minutemen. While we were there, some children from the south of the border pelted a BP agent’s truck with rocks. We witnessed the other border patrol units respond to this event while the Mexican police searched for the children. Later we heard all this may have been a diversion allowing someone with drugs (or worse) to slip across an unsecured area undetected.
Truly, this was an eye-opening experience for all involved. It gave each of us a deeper sense of appreciation for those who work at securing the border at a time when doing so doesn’t seem to be a high priority to many in government. Regardless, every nation, including the USA, has a duty to protect its citizens from drugs, weapons, and human trafficking. God bless the Minutemen!
