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Border Fence Stops At Water's Edge

By Bud Foster - email  

"I thought it would go all the way through the river," says John Ladd, owner of the San Jose Ranch along the San Pedro River.

He was seeing this section of the border wall/fence for the first time. He was surprised it stopped and started at the water's edge. There's a 20 foot gap straddling the river.

It's a very small section of the nearly 670 miles of border fence and vehicle barriers build by the Department of Homeland Security but it represents a big argument.

Environmentalists had gone to court to stop the barrier from crossing the San Pedro. But the DHS chief, Michael Chertoff suspended a series of environmental laws to build it.

Looking North along the river from the barrier, it's evident it allows foot traffic to continue. Water bottles and other litter float in the river about a hundred feet upstream.

But ranchers say it has stopped wildlife which used to habitat the area.

Ladd says he's seen two mule deer this year whereas in the past, it would be  in the dozens.

"Seeing wildlife is one way to make sure we're doing a good job," he says. Being a steward of the land is a big part of being a rancher.

"Putting up a monstrosity like this that does nothing, I feel cheated," he says.

But BP says it's contributing to it's success. Arrests of illegal immigrants has dropped dramatically since enforcement has increased.

But Ladd says he hasn't seen any difference. They still come night and day he says.

"A ladder and a rope. A ladder on one side, a rope on the other," he says.

The political landscape changes in the next three weeks. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano takes over as head of the Department of Homeland Security.

Whether things will change, Ladd is not sure.

"I haven't heard a thing," he says.