Most of the 57,000 or so unaccompanied and undocumented Central American minors who’ve come to the U.S. in the last 10 months present themselves to Customs and Border Protection officers at the U.S.-Mexico border. They want to be taken in, in the hopes that they will be reunited with family members in the U.S.
But 70 miles north of the border, in Brooks County, Texas, many residents feel they’re living on another border. They say adult migrants have made it to their property, and they don’t want to be caught. They claim they’re trying to cross through ranches to try to avoid government checkpoints.
Ranchers say this illegal immigration is going unreported while the attention shifts to kids, and those ranchers are taking matters into their own hands.
Michael Vickers is a rancher and veterinarian in Falfurrias, Texas. He and his wife, Linda, co-founded the Texas Border Volunteers. Members of this group look for people who cross the border illegally, and then report them to the Border Patrol.
Vickers joins Here & Now’s Robin Young to explain why he founded the organization and its importance today.
Guest
- Michael Vickers, rancher and veterinarian in Falfurrias, Texas, and co-founder of the Texas Border Volunteers.
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