The Biden Administration has agreed to pay farmers and ranchers across the Texas-Mexico border for damages to their property caused by Biden’s border crisis which has seen a massive surge in illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
While making sure not to discuss or even mention what caused such widespread damage to private property along the border, the Biden Administration announced that the Department of Agriculture (DoA) will provide federal assistance to landowners “currently impacted by damage to fields and farming infrastructure.”
Kristy Oates, a state conservationist for the DoA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Texas, said in a statement:
We understand that the field and farming infrastructure damages along the border are costly and have a negative impact on our natural resources that our farmers and ranchers work hard to conserve. Our field offices are ready to assist eligible producers with technical and financial assistance.
The DoA specified that every Texas county that shares space along the 1,250-mile state-Mexico border and counties up to 100 miles away from the border would be eligible to receive taxpayer-funded coverage for up to 26 types of property damage. State and national organizations made the requests for coverage in response to the highest levels of illegal immigration ever seen under the failed leadership of President Biden.
Texas Representative Tony Gonzales - whose district stretches along two-thirds of the state’s southern border stated:
I hear daily from property owners who have suffered damages due to the border crisis. These dollars will have a real impact on our ranchers and farmers, who have footed the cost of this crisis. ... Providing this relief has been a priority for me, and I appreciate my colleagues for joining me in this effort to put our farmers first.
As illegal immigration and the trade of illicit drugs, like the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, began to skyrocket immediately after Biden’s inauguration - farmers and ranchers started to report aliens destroying their crops, breaking down fences, and even invading family homes. For context, in 2021, Texas saw more illegal border crossings than New Mexico, Arizona, and California combined.
According to the Washington Examiner, the Texas Farm Bureau backed 49 other states, and the national Farm Bureau wrote to the secretaries of DoA, DHS, and the Department of the Interior asking for financial help and a security solution to stop the illegal crossing into the U.S. and on their properties. The letter reads:
We have been listening to the concerns of our members and hearing how their livelihoods are being affected by the surge on the border. Farm and ranch families, many of whom have owned land for generations, are bearing the brunt of this unprecedented influx and have never seen a more dire situation.
By September of last year, the Examiner reports, more than 120 farmers and ranchers - just near Del Rio - had agreed to let the state of Texas build its own border fencing on their property after the Biden Administration ended construction of border barriers at the federal level.
Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening wrote in an email to the Washington Examiner:
As the border crisis continues, we recognize short-term solutions, like the EQIP funding program, are needed. We hope USDA will continue to work with Texas farmers and ranchers to ensure this program meets their unique needs. However, we cannot stress enough the critical importance of acting on a long-term solution. Action is needed now to secure the border, first and foremost. That is the only way this crisis can truly be addressed.
Texas counties eligible for aid include Brewster, Brooks, Cameron, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, El Paso, Frio, Hidalgo, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Starr, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, and Zavala.
For the complete story, please visit the Washington Examiner.
